Changed Fates
by Quwarichi
Summary: On the final battle between Kawaki and him, Boruto's Jōgan reacted strangely, sending him, Sarada and Himawari 21 years into the past, to the old Konoha. Now, they find themselves as no more than mere pieces in a much bigger game, and a threat looming over the world larger than anything they've seen before.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do ****not**** own Naruto. Kishimoto does. Believe me; you do NOT want me to own Naruto.**

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Chapter 1:

Prologue:

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The start of this story is at the end of another.

The once progressive village of Konoha was now a burning wasteland, broken buildings and ruined land everywhere. Nowhere was safe anymore. Everything was destroyed. The faces of the seven Hokage, from the village founder Hashirama Senju to the village hero Naruto Uzumaki were destroyed to the point where they were scarcely recognizable. The stormy sky was dark and menacing, gusting winds carrying the smoke from the now-destroyed homes and workplaces upwards, painting the sky in fire. Not a soul could be seen in the desolate land and the quiet that surrounded the place felt like time itself was holding its breath for what was yet to come.

On the Hokage Mountain, two figures fought head-on, their weapons clashing against each other and pushing their owners backward. On the higher ground, a young man with grey eyes and bushy black hair stood tall, his black trench coat billowing in the wind. His body was covered with black lines from his palm to his left eye.

He looked down at his opponent, another young man with spiky blond hair and two whisker marks on each of his cheeks. A large scar marred his right eye and the wind whipped his black cape behind him, just like it caught his own. The blond held a katana in both his hands as exhaustion forced him into a crouch. His sole blue eye sent a piercing yet tired look to the man before him as the wind raged around them.

"I didn't think you'd go this far, Kawaki!" Boruto shouted, the feelings of betrayal running deep within his heart.

Kawaki's face remained unchanged as he looked at Boruto from above, his hair moving slowly with the rhythm of the wind. "I'll send you where I sent the Seventh Hokage, Boruto." He said with an unwavering voice, almost emotionless. Detached.

Boruto ducked his head, blonde fringe hiding the pain and sadness in his eyes. "Was this the only possible outcome?" he asked, not directing the question to anyone in particular.

"Yes, that's right." Kawaki clenched his left hand, making a screeching sound that seemed to be coming out of the now red lines that covered his body. "The age of shinobi… is over!"

Boruto's hand entered his pouch. "Even so," he told Kawaki as he tied his forehead protector around his head, revealing two intersecting slashes on it. A black line slowly made his way up to his face, to his scarred eye. "I'm still a shinobi!" He opened his wounded eye, revealing a light blue iris with a darkened sclera and a barely visible pupil. The black lines covering his right side turned blue as he made a one-handed Ram seal.

Preparing his staff, Kawaki wordlessly charged at Boruto, the latter doing the same with his sword, weapons once again clashing against each other atop of the Seventh Hokage stone face, the sound of each strike echoing throughout the destroyed village.

On the sidelines, two black-haired girls were watching as the boys fought. They had escaped the terror and horrors of the village, adrenaline rushing through their veins and their focus on the fight was all that was keeping them from breaking down.

The older between them stood rigid, her fists clenched, as her Sharingan darted all over, capturing every movement the two shinobi made. She knew Boruto wanted, no, had to fight this battle alone. But as much as she wanted to allow him that, she also knew that if something were to happen to him and she could have stopped it, she would never forgive herself. After the death of both her parents, he was the only family she had left. Her eyes glanced at the girl beside her for a brief moment before returning to the fight at hand. He was the only family they both had left.

Himawari's face was covered in dirt, her clothes dirty and ripped. Sarada was sure she didn't look much better than her, her own body littered with cuts and wounds. She was straining to see anything with how dirty her glasses were. Tear trails still stained her cheeks, but she couldn't care less. Her chakra was draining quickly with her Sharingan activated but she didn't deactivate it. She had to be prepared for anything.

Himawari tugged on her arm, momentarily pulling her attention away from the fight. "We have to help Onii-chan!" she told Sarada, tears in her eyes. "He's hurt!"

Sarada's fist clenched even more than they already were; blood starting to trickle out from where her nails dug into the palm of her hand. "We can't." She told the young girl, "It's a fight only he can fight. If we were to intervene, it could make things even worse." She hated this. And she knew the Uzumaki girl hated it just as much. But she had to think logically and rationally. Feelings couldn't be a factor in this equation.

Meanwhile, Boruto charged at Kawaki with his weapon raised, crashing against his opponent's staff and making sparks fly. He knew his sister and teammate were near, and the worry was only growing as he heard Himawari's voice progressively grow louder and louder. It meant she was nearing a breaking point, and nothing good ever came out of that when it came to his sister.

I have to finish this quickly before she does something reckless, he thought as he slashed at his former friend, only to be blocked again.

Something was tugging at his Jōgan, almost making him lose focus on the battle. He knew what this tug meant, and tried to spread out his senses to find the cause. He located a dimension barrier a mere few feet away from him, and the barrier was getting thinner and thinner by the second. Boruto knew that if he got too close to the barrier, his Jōgan would automatically break it, opening up the dimension. He couldn't let that happen, he had to stay as far away from it as possible. At least until the fight was over, assuming he won.

Too bad fate had other plans that day.

Taking advantage of Sarada's focus on the battle at hand, Himawari rushed ahead, Byakugan activated. "Himawari, Wait!" Sarada shouted, charging after her.

Hearing Himawari's name caused both boys to freeze in place and turn their heads to the girl running towards them. Everything seemed to slow down at that moment. It took Boruto less than a second to predict what will happen next; Himawari would charge at Kawaki, who would instinctively raise his staff in defense, which would catch her mid-air and send her flying from the mountain, resulting in her getting gravely wounded. He couldn't let that happen.

He launched forward, using Kawaki's momentarily distraction as an advantage, and grabbed Himawari mid-charge, using his body weight to push her back to where Sarada was, and the barrier.

Shit, was his only thought as his Jōgan sent a pulse to the barrier, activating it and generating a black vortex underneath him.

He felt himself getting sucked in together with Himawari, who was still in his arms. He heard her scream in fear, mingling with Sarada's surprised shout as she tumbled into the vortex as well. He turned his body so that Himawari will be on top of him while they fell. Closing his eyes, he awaited the collision with the bottom of wherever this dimension is.

It didn't take too long to reach it, and he crashed into what felt like a smooth marble floor, hitting the back of his head and stealing his breath away, the shock making him release Himawari from his grasp. Darkness was enveloping him, forcing him to close his eyes and slip into unconsciousnesses. He heard the sound of another body falling near him before his senses shut down and he fell into the dark.

He thought of his family. His mother and father, and wondered if he'll get to see them soon. Maybe he'll see his master and his friends as well.

Unknown to him, Fate had other plans for him, bigger than anything he had ever known.

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**Author's note: **That's the prologue. Yup.

Just kidding, I have much more to say. This fic has been inspired by Dom2040's fic called A Different Kind of Journey, and you should definitely check it out(after you're done reading mine, of course). It starts similar but I talked with Dom2040 and we're going in different directions completely, so don't worry.

Because this is just the prologue it's kind of short, but's the future chapters will be much longer, I promise.

Thank you so much for reading the chapter! I update every Wednesday(for the foreseeable future, at least), so make so to follow and favorite so you'll get the alert. See you next chapter!

**Beta Reader:** the amazing Silver Snowblossom, who listened to my weird request and did an amazing job editing this.


	2. Branches

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Or Boruto. Or anything. I'm poor. I bet Kishimoto is rich though.**

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**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 2: Branches**

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The first thing Boruto noticed was the pain.

Ow.

He was not laying in a comfortable position, to say the least. Something long was poking him in the back. His eyes were still closed. Well, one was still closed. The other was always closed. The back of his head was pretty sore, which was probably what was making him feel so foggy and drowsy. He could've sworn he hit it somewhere, but where?

His good eye shot open. Kawaki. Battle. Black vortex. Himawari and Sarada.

He shot up like he was struck by lightning—a big mistake on his part, as he immediately winced as a sharp jolt of pain reminded him of his injuries. Scanning his surroundings, it didn't seem like he was in Konoha anymore. Instead, he was in a small clearing in the woods. Another glance around him explained what he felt pressed against his back. He was lying under a tree on top of its roots, which were pressed up against his back causing the discomfort. There was no one else but him around, which made him both relieved and nervous. He knew Sarada and Himawari had fallen through the vortex with him, but it seemed like they didn't end up in the same place. That also raised the question: where was he, exactly?

He knew he was in some kind of forest, which made him hope that the portal hadn't transported him too far from the Fire country, or better yet, Konoha. The trees were huddled very closely together and had dark and light leaves on all of the branches, an immediate sign he wasn't in Suna since nothing this green could grow there. It also didn't seem like Iwa, since the ground was covered in way too much grass and way too few rocks.

Checking his gear, everything was accounted for, from kunai to shuriken. Checking the sheath of his katana, he panicked for a moment when the sword wasn't there, only to immediately relax when he found it lying next to him. Getting up, he sheathed the sword back to its place and looked around. He had no idea where to go. Himawari and Sarada were out there somewhere, but he had no clue on how to even start looking for them. He could scan the forest for days in one direction only for them to be on the opposite side from him. A good way to start would be to see how far the forest goes, but he had little to no chakra left, the journey through the portal draining him. Besides, it was darkening quickly, the last rays of the sun slowly disappearing behind the tree line. Dark clouds were filling the sky and blocking the sunlight completely, making a low grumble as they clashed with one another. It would rain soon. He'd better find cover and start planning on how to find his sister and teammate before they stayed out too long in the rain and caught a cold.

Taking a step forward, he wobbled and had to lean his hand on the tree behind him to not fall. Cursing under his breath, he concentrated on trying to apply all his weight on his legs, slowly checking if he could stand on his own. The rain started to pour down, large droplets of water falling through the branches and leaves onto his hair, his face, and his clothes. When he finally managed to steady himself, the rain had rendered his clothes a second skin clinging to his body. He knew he had to hurry, or else Himawari and Sarada might wander off in a certain direction to avoid the downpour and get even farther away from him. He started to walk slowly, his hand sliding against the tree trunks he passed as he made his way in a random direction, seeing as it was the one with fewer trees than the others, meaning he could move much quicker even in his condition. Straining his sight to see anything in the almost-dark forest, he tripped over a tree root or a small stone a few times, too focused on what was ahead to look down.

The seventh time he tripped wasn't because of a tree root or a rock.

His eye flashed over the thing that caused his fall. A yellow hoodie, lavender-colored hair, and a pink skirt.

He fell over his little sister's unconscious body.

"Hima!" Boruto called out surprised. She was lying on the base of a tree and was, shockingly, pretty dry. Glancing up, he noticed that the branches of the tree were much closer together than the other trees, making it harder for the rain to penetrate through them. He crouched down, ignoring the searing pain from his ribcage. He probably had some broken ribs, not that he cared at the moment. With a bit of effort, he settled Himawari with her back against the tree and examined her in the dim moonlight cracking through the clouds. She was wounded, her arms and legs filled with cuts and bruises. Boruto was no medic-nin, but he deduced that she had at least one fractured rib, maybe two, as her somewhat ripped hoodie and undershirt revealed a bruised torso, some areas of the skin were definitely darker than her usual tone and a few already healing cuts had dried up trails of blood coming from them. That knowledge made him grit his teeth in anger. Himawari was his precious little sister. He knew she was a powerhouse and a monster when she wanted to be, and she definitely did not need his protection, but he couldn't help it. She would always be his cute little sister, and the fact that she got hurt sent him spiraling into a dark place he tried to avoid ever since his master died.

_No! _he mentally smacked himself._ Not now. Hima's hurt, and you need to focus on the task at hand. Focus on the mission ahead! Hima now, spiraling later!_

He removed his cloak from his back and wrung out water. Deciding it was dry enough, he wrapped his sister with it, making sure she was tucked in well as she slept. Checking on his chakra reserves, he had enough to make one shadow clone. A quick hand sign and another he appeared. They shared a quick look before the clone nodded curtly and turned his attention to Himawari. Knowing that Himawari was now safely guarded by one of his clones, he leaned his forehead against hers and took a deep, slightly agonizing, breath. Feeling a bit more relaxed (and his ribs feeling a little more broken) he kissed the top her head. Getting up, he nodded to the shadow clone.

"Start a fire once the rain lets up. We need to get her warm," he told the clone.

The clone nodded, a solemn expression on his face, as he turned his gaze back to the original's sister.

Bracing himself, Boruto turned around and started making his way back into the forest. Finally, more energized since he had more chakra now, and not as sore as before, he switched from a slow limp into a run, moving much quicker between the trees and scanning the forest for his Uchiha teammate.

Half an hour later, the rain started to let up, letting more moonlight shine through the treetops and allowing Boruto to see more.

He still hadn't found any sign of Sarada anywhere, which made him more and more concerned by the minute. Did he make a wrong turn? What if he passed her because it was too dark to see? What if she was hurt? The last question made him more anxious than others. Sarada might have been a highly-skilled medical-nin, trained by her mother on the art of healing, and a very calm-under-fire person, but she always had a habit of healing everybody else first before even thinking about healing herself, a habit Auntie Sakura had mentioned was no good and that she should get rid of it. So knowing his teammate, even if she was hurt, assuming she was awake, she'd look for him and Himawari to check if they were injured before even thinking to take a look at herself.

Jumping onto a branch, he stopped to rest, leaning against the tree and catching his breath. Suddenly he could see much clearer. Looking up, he saw that the moon had broken through the clouds and now was shining down on him. He remembered once when they were coming back to the village after a mission, Sarada had mentioned something about the moon.

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_They'd been tired but satisfied. The mission had been a success and they were finally returning home after four days away. Konohamaru-sensei had been talking with Mitsuki, who'd wanted to get the day off the day after tomorrow since he and his girlfriend had a date planned. Boruto'd always found it amusing seeing Mitsuki act like a boyfriend, as the guy he'd known ever since they were eight had always been such a socially-awkward person. He'd mentioned it to Sarada, who had just shrugged it off by saying, "He's growing up. We all are."_

_They'd been walking a bit ahead of the others, the moonlight looming on their backs. Sarada'd had a content smile on her face and looked peaceful. Boruto had been staring at her face for a while as they walked, gaining her attention._

_"What is it?" She asked him, breaking him out of his trance._

_"It's just… you seem sorta calm? I don't know, peaceful, maybe?" He felt flustered from the way her eyes scanned his face. she had probably deemed him sincere since she visibly relaxed from her almost-tense posture, her shoulders slacking and back leaning a bit._

_"I guess... it's the moonlight. It always made me feel secure," she said after a long pause, startling Boruto as he thought he might have pissed her off with his comment._

_"How come?"_

_She'd pushed up her glasses and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She'd been growing out her hair, and it was already past her shoulders. "When I was young, before I met my dad, my mama used to say that if I looked at the moon, I'd be connected to papa through it." Her expression had changed into a fond one as she talked about her parents. "She said that it's because he's probably looking at the moon as well, and if we both looked at it, it would connect us." She'd glanced at the moon, smiling. "I guess when I'm under the moon, it makes me feel like my papa is watching over me."_

_She had shaken her head, casting a glance in Boruto's direction. "You probably think this boring right?" She'd stopped when she'd noticed the look he'd been giving her._

_His cheeks were hot and he wore a bewildered expression like he was just seeing her for the first time. Through his unbreaking gaze, he noticed her cheeks started to flush, and she licked her lips as if her throat was dry._

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Boruto remembered staring at his teammate with awe. He'd asked her a question he'd pegged as silly and meaningless, yet she'd given him a meaningful and beautiful answer, revealing a soft side she rarely ever showed. Under the moonlight, with her onyx eyes reflecting the shine of the moon, and the light breeze around them messing her hair, and the soft expression she had, he'd thought one thing. She was beautiful. And that thought had brought warmth to his face and a new realization to his heart. Something that'd seemed so impossible, yet so normal, he couldn't do anything but stare at her face while his mind processed this new revaluation.

Smiling fondly at the memory, he chuckled before shaking his head to clear out those thoughts. This was not the time for a trip down memory lane, as enjoyable as it might have been. He had a mission to accomplish.

Grabbing a kunai, he marked the tree he was standing on with an 'X'. Before jumping off the branch to the next one, and the next one. At the fourth he stopped, marking it again with an 'X', before moving on. Every four trees he stopped and marked his path.

Ten minutes later, he noticed the trees seem to have more space between them, and the farther he went the more spaced out they became. _I must be nearing the end of the forest,_ he realized. Contemplating whether to go back and look for Sarada elsewhere, the moon reappeared, it's light shining through the thin line of trees at the end of the forest. _I wonder…_ Boruto had a suspicion and decided to check out the trees ahead before heading back.

Jumping off the branch he stood on, he made his way on foot to where the moon shone. Passing through some bushes, he saw her.

Laying on the ground at the edge of the forest, the moonlight shining above her, was Sarada Uchiha, and she seemed to be both wet and unconscious. Boruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Launching towards her, he grabbed her arms only to be alarmed at how cold they were. Not good. She wasn't dressed for cold weather. He took off his jacket and put it on her. At least it would keep her warm until he could return to Himawari and his clone. Hopefully, his sister had woken up since he'd left, or at the very least gotten warmer.

He loaded Sarada onto his back, making sure she wouldn't fall off even if he jumped.

_Welp. Time to head back._

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It must have been around midnight when Boruto finally reached Himawari.

His younger sister was still asleep, and the shadow clone he'd left guarding her stood on a branch above her, scanning for danger. He'd lit a fire, though. Placing Sarada carefully next to Himawari, he checked the latter's temperature. It'd be bad if either of them caught a cold in the middle of nowhere. Himawari seemed to be more than fine. It seemed she had moved from unconsciousness to sleep while he'd been gone, kicking off his cloak in the process. The thing was completely dry and quite warm, so Boruto wrapped himself back up with it. He sat under the tree next to them, watching as they breathed in and out for a while. He felt the tiredness finally getting to him and realized what an eventful day he'd been through today, but even in his tired state not allowing the full realization sink in. Because letting that sink in meant letting the grief take control. And he couldn't break right now, he needed to be strong for the girls. He needed to be strong for himself.

Signaling the shadow clone to come down, he gave the simple order of scanning the forest to find out where they were and to then dispel and relay the information back to himself. Once the shadow clone took off, Boruto got up from his position and checked one last time on the others. They both seemed content and at ease. Finally, at peace, he let a big yawn escape his mouth and rubbed his eyes mindlessly. Getting back to his spot, he wrapped himself up in the cloak like a blanket and closed his eyes, allowing sleep to take hold and drag him into the sweet, sweet darkness.

The moon veiled over the small campsite as if protecting it from the dark.

Somewhere, not too far from there, it also shone on a village and a mountain. A mountain with five huge stone faces on it.

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**Author's note: **Welcome back to chapter 1! I'm currently writing the first two chapters and the prologue back-to-back, even though for you it'll just be released every week, in reality, this was written about 20 minutes after the prologue was.

I'm having trouble naming this fic:( so I asked a friend and I'm waiting for his answer as I write this. You probably know how I named it already since you're reading this _named _fic. I'm jealous. In any case, enough of my rambling. Please review and tell me hat you think so far!

**Beta Reader: **A HUGE thank you for Bizu Cameche for beta reading this chapter.


	3. Flowers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I'm also awake at 5:28 AM writing this because I'm crazy and very sleep deprived. Please send help.**

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**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 3: Flowers**

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Boruto woke up to the sound of birds chirping.

Sitting up from his fallen position, he stretched his arms, yawned and rubbed his eye. It seemed that the fire had died down during the night, leaving nothing more than a small circle of charcoal in the middle where the flames had been. Glancing at the two sleeping girls, he saw that they were still asleep.

"Seriously? How can someone sleep so much?" He wondered out loud.

He shook his cloak out to get the morning dew out of it. A quick glance at the sun's position told him that it was around 10 AM. It seemed he'd slept for around ten hours, give or take. The girls should be awake soon as well, as even on a good day Himawari never slept more than 11 hours, she said that she felt that if she slept too much, she would miss the whole day. And Sarada was never one to oversleep; she was usually up with the dawn and breaking into his room to kick him out of bed, should he oversleep.

Chuckling at the memory, he hung his cloak upon a lower branch to dry in the sun and then went over to the sleeping Uchiha. She seemed pretty peaceful, all things considered, and not at all like Himawari, who was mumbling incoherent things and moving around in her sleep. Boruto felt his smile grow bigger as he watched his little sister fondly. She seemed to be having a nice dream, as he caught the words "ice-cream", "pandas", and surprisingly, "hot pepper". Seriously, his sister was a wonder.

Turning his attention to his teammate, he noticed that she was sweating lightly. She was probably feeling too hot with his jacket on, so he took it off her. It was battered and dirty and the right sleeve was ripped from the wrist to the elbow. He'd have to ask Himawari to fix it for him later. Putting it on, he felt something like assurance washing over him. This jacket had been through a lot with him, and no matter how battered and torn it was from all the battle, he wore it like a battle scar, a proof that he fought those battles and won. That he could do so again. That he could protect his sister and friend, no matter how many scars he'd get along the way. It was a memento, and he'd need it to remind him that he could do this, no matter what.

Getting up from his crouched position, he looked around. His shadow clone still hadn't returned or dispelled, which was strange. It'd been ten hours. Where the hell did he go? If he'd gotten lost, he would've already dispelled and sent the memories back to the original.

Where the hell was his shadow clone?

* * *

The road was quiet. It was not smooth by any means, but for a veteran merchant, it was all in a day's work.

A wagon made it's way slowly down the trail, one lone donkey pulling it. The man leading the donkey looked like he was a lovely, chipper fellow. An old merchant was sitting in the front, enjoying the morning sun and humming to himself. Looking behind his shoulder, he watched the little girl sitting in the back, playing with the flowers she'd picked earlier.

"Having fun, Zari?" He asked the girl, smiling.

The girl looked up. Her brown hair, tied up into two pigtails, bounced with every turn of her head. "Yup! The flowers here are so pretty!" His grey eyes shone brightly as she laughed, lifting one of the flower crowns she made to show her father.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, dear." He smiled at her before turning his head back to the road. "We'll arrive at Konoha soon, so you just relax."

Zari giggled as she pressed another flower to the crown "'Kay!"

She couldn't wait to arrive at Konoha; there was an amazing flower shop there and she'd saved up her money the whole year so she could spend it there. Her mother had been very supportive of her goal, giving her rewards for jobs she did around the house and helping her learn more about flowers. She couldn't wait to come home with the beautiful bouquet she would organize and give to her mother, who had fallen under the weather and couldn't make the trip with them this year.

Her father, Graff, wiped the sweat off his face with a handkerchief. Something felt wrong for him. After so many years in the merchandise business, he had learned to trust his gut, and right now it was telling him someone was watching him. But he didn't see anybody. It made him anxious.

Unknown to him, someone was watching him. Several someones, in fact. Though the first few people watching them from the shadows were not aware of the other spectator, he was aware of them. Walking backward quietly, he dispelled himself to send his memories back to the original. The merchant and his daughter were going to need help. And soon.

* * *

Boruto was carrying both girls on his back. And they were heavy.

Though he would never say it to their face since that would probably get him punched in the face. He shivered; girls were scary.

Sarada's weight wasn't much of a surprise considering she was a 16-year-old girl, but Himawari was a shock to him. When had she gotten this big? It made him kinda proud, though a bit worried. The more she grew, the prettier she got. He and his dad knew it was only a matter of time before someone noticed her and tried to approach her. They definitely couldn't let that happen. Elana, Himawari's best friend, used to shrug off Boruto and Naruto's concerns by saying that Himawari was a smart girl and even better than that, a strong one. If someone were to try and do something to her that was not to her liking, she'd probably tenketsu the shit out of them before they'd even get close to her. Though after saying that Elana did say that if someone were to try and touch Himawari she would personally rip their limbs off one by one. That day Boruto and his father decided that Himawari could take of herself, and to also make sure that Elana will never encounter anyone Himawari will ever date.

His arms were kinda sore, and the cloak he folded and stuck in the inner pocket of his jacket was pressing kinda uncomfortably against his chest. His ribs were aching and he was low on chakra, being way too tired yesterday to even realize how much he actually spent on that one clone.

Speaking of that clone, he still hadn't come back yet. Boruto decided to start making his way with the girls on his back in the direction his clone ran off to. Maybe he'd see what's holding it up while going that road. And maybe find some food as well.

_Wait a minute! _A thought crossed his mind. _Didn't Sarada tell you she always carries soldier pill in her pouch?_

He knelt down and laid the girls on the grass beside him. Gently lifting Sarada up into a sitting position, he allowed her to fall on his chest as he checked her back pouch, and hit the jackpot as he found two small pills in there. Quickly swallowing them, he felt they'd already started to work. Reloading the girls onto his back, he made his way through the forest, the sun getting higher and higher in the sky as he strolled down the unmarked path.

Sarada stirred up for a moment, making Boruto freeze.

_Is she waking up? _He glanced at his teammate and waited.

Apparently, she was just shifting her position a little before going back to sleep.

Boruto sighed. This was going to be a long day.

About ten minutes later, he stumbled out of the woods onto a road. The ground was dense, streaked with tracks of humans and wheels on it. Now he had a dilemma: right or left? There were several footsteps tracks in both directions. No matter which direction he chose, he'd likely end up in civilization. So, where should he go?

Above his head, a hawk screeched, brown and majestic. When Boruto made eye contact with it for a moment, the hawk turned his gaze and flew to Boruto's right, as if signaling him to follow it. Now that he thought about it, didn't Sasuke-san have a hawk that looked just like this one?

"Watching over your daughter even beyond the grave," Boruto said to himself. "Don't worry, Master. I'm going to look after her from now on. I promise." He began to walk down the road after the hawk, smiling, newly reminded he was not alone.

The hawk flew away to the sky, far away into the clouds, perhaps returning back to his master's side, until he will soar again.

* * *

Wondering where the road would take him, Boruto tried to entertain himself by humming songs and solving riddles. So boring. Sarada shifted on his back every now and then, while Himawari was in a constantly mumbling unintelligible words. Just when he'd started to wish for some excitement, he realized the old adage was true: Be careful what you wish for.

The clone's memories rushed back into him, halting Boruto's steps. Apparently, while on his surveillance of the woods, his clone had found a father and a daughter who were merchants on their way to a village; he'd decided to follow them and find the village, so he could send directions to the original. Along with the merchants, the clone had detected four other presences around the wagon. Four ill-intentions. He'd decided to conceal his presence and keep watch in case the others attempted to harm the merchants. Hours later, he heard the four talking about attacking soon, planning to strike before the wagon arrived into the village. That was when he dispelled himself to let the original know.

Boruto let all of the memories wash over him, tracing the path the clone took. Surprisingly, he'd gone the same way Boruto had already been heading. In fact, the wagon would not be that much farther from him according to his clone's memories. Speeding up his pace, Boruto ran ahead, determined to get to the wagon before the four bandits (or so he assumed) attacked.

It didn't take long for him to hear shouting ahead of him. Moving from the road to some nearby bushes, he laid both girls on the ground next to him, where they would be hidden out of sight. Sarada moved again, her eyelids stirring, but didn't make noise. Making sure she was asleep, he then turned and watched the happenings in front of him.

An old man and a little girl stood in front of a wagon, the man holding the girl in a protective embrace. Four men stood in front of them, kunai and knives visible, clearly for intimidation purposes. They laughed as two of them were looted the wagon. The little girl was shaking in fear, tears in her eyes. Boruto gritted his teeth. Seriously, who would do that to a poor little girl and a harmless old man?

One of the bandits picked up a small money sack ."Well, looky what we got here." He dangled the sack in front of the father and daughter. "How kind of you. I was running short on gambling money." He laughed at the old man's angered expression.

"No!" The little girl yelled "That's my mine! I saved it up all by myself. So, give it back!" She escaped her father's hold and ran to the bandit, grabbing onto his leg.

The man's face scrunched up in disgust, and he shook his leg. "Hey, let go of me you little brat!"

"No! Give me my money back! Mommy helped me save it up and I have to buy flowers for her with it!" The girl cried as she held onto the man's trousers, not letting go.

The man got annoyed, ripping her away from his pants and slamming her against the wagon. Her body fell down, unconscious.

"Zari!" Her father immediately picked her body up and held it protectively in his arms. "You monster!"

"Monster? She was the one who was clinging to me, you stupid old man," the bandit said. He picked through the small money sack, clicking his tongue in anger and throwing it on the ground, money spreading everywhere. "Tch. There isn't enough money in there to buy a decent drink." He complained. "Hey, don't you have any money, you old shit?" He kicked the old merchant once, twice, thrice. "C'mon! Aren't you a merchant or something? Give us money." He kicked the man again as his friends snickered.

Boruto's blood boiled, fists clenched so hard his nails dug into his flesh. He couldn't move yet, the element of surprise not on his side. He didn't have enough chakra to make another clone just yet, and definitely not enough for using jutsus.

"You know… that girl looks pretty healthy," one of the bandit's friends said, examining the unconscious girl in the merchant's arms. "I bet she could sell for some good money in the slave market."

That sent the other three snickering, their faces forming sadistic grins.

Screw the element of surprise.

Boruto jumped out of the bushes, unsheathing his katana and heading to the bandit near him. He quickly slashed his back, kicking him to the ground. The other three turned around at the noise, eyes widening.

"Hey!" one of them yelled as he ran towards Boruto with his knife raised to strike.

Boruto crouched down, narrowly avoiding the blow, and used his momentum to punch the man in the gut, knocking the bandit's breath out of him. Laying one hand on the ground, he kicked the bandit in the side, flinging him a good few feet away. The other bandit threw a kunai at him, barely grazing his shoulder. Boruto swiftly got up and made a quick hand sign, releasing lightning down his blade. He slashed horizontally, cutting the kunai-throwing bandit down and electrocuting him. The one who'd kicked the little girl seemed the smartest out of their bunch, seeing as he was the only one who actually took a second to measure Boruto up instead of attacking him without a plan. The man's eyes darted towards the merchant and girl, and Boruto's eyes widened when he realized the bandit's plan, diving to get them but not being fast enough. The bandit got to them first, holding the now wide-awake little girl in his arms and pointing a knife at her throat.

"Zari!" Her father cried out.

Boruto halted, knowing that he was now at the mercy of the filthy bandit. He tightened his hold on the hilt of his katana, frozen in place.

The bandit smirked victoriously. "Not so heroic now, are we?"

"Daddy!" Zari cried.

The bandit pressed his knife further up her throat. "Quiet you little brat!"

Boruto's jaw clenched. He had drained out chakra and running on pure adrenaline. There was no way he could help the little girl.

"I see you lost that heroic spark of yours now, boy," the bandit snickered. "Serves you right for thinking you could beat me, the mighty Olrik!" He laughed out loud.

Silent tears were coming out of Zari's eyes as she struggled against the bandit's hold. Suddenly, she bit his arm, hard. Olrik released her in a yelp of pain, and she fell to the ground at his feet.

"Ow! You little bitch!" Olrik spat. "I'll kill you!" He launched forward, knife at the ready.

"Zari!" her father yelled.

Boruto darted forward, though he knew full well he wouldn't be fast enough to reach them in time-

"SHANNARO!"

A fist came crashing down from above directly into Olrik's face, sending him flying into a nearby tree. Where he'd stood seconds ago now stood a seething Sarada, Sharingan activated and fists clenched. She was in a fighting stance, hands raised and feet at hip-width. Her glasses shone in the sunlight and her hair was still flowing from her previous attack. Her face was fearsome as she stared at the bandit with pure hatred in her Sharingan eyes, her face twisting into a disgusted expression.

Boruto sighed in relief. Not only was the little girl safe, but Sarada was up and already kicking ass. He felt like laughing.

"Zari!" The girl's father ran to her and scooped her in his arms, giving her a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so glad you're safe. So, so glad." They both cried as they held each other.

Boruto smiled at that family moment in front of him, before turning his attention to a certain Uchiha girl who made her way to him.

"Welcome back to the world of the living," he told Sarada.

She rolled her eyes at him and scanned the scenery. "Where are we?"

"Dunno. I woke up in a forest after we fell through that vortex. You and Himawari were both asleep for almost 12 hours."

Sarada nodded. "Kawaki?"

He shook his head. "I don't think he made the trip with us. Wherever we are." A thought suddenly crossed his mind. "Wait, if you're awake, does that mean Himawari is also…?"

Sarada shook her head. "Nope. Only me." She gestured to the bandits. "So, what do you want to do with them?"

"You can probably hand them over to the local authorities," the old man told them, as he neared them with his daughter in tow. "I don't mind giving you a ride." He pointed at his wagon "It's the least I could do for you after you two saved us."

Sarada smiled at him. "That would be nice. Where are you headed?"

"We're going to Konohagakure, ma'am!" The little girl told her excitedly.

Boruto and Sarada's eyes widened.

"You can't!" Boruto told them. "It's nothing but a wasteland!". Were they that close to the village? Boruto thought about Kawaki, who might still be there.

To their surprise, the old merchant just laughed. "A wasteland? Well, I admit it's not the cleanest place but I wouldn't call it that!" Even Zari giggled at Boruto's words. "In any case, I really don't mind giving you a ride there. And to hand those guys over as well."

Boruto was still confused over why they laughed at his words, but Sarada was quick to recover from the confusion and decided to play along with them for now. "We would be grateful if you could give us a ride. But we have another friend with us. She's a really heavy sleeper. Would you mind if we brought her too?" she asked the merchant.

He waved her off, "Sure thing, Miss. Just put her in the back!" He began to grab the things the bandits unloaded from the wagon and loaded it back on it. Boruto gave him a hand while Sarada went to get Himawari. Zari, meanwhile, bent down to pick the money the bandit threw on the ground earlier and placed it bag in her small sack. Boruto and the merchant tied up the bandits in the meanwhile and placed them in the back of the wagon before going back to loading the rest of the merchandise on. Sarada came back with Himawari on her back, still asleep. Boruto finished loading the last bit of merchandise and helped Sarada lift Himawari up and place her on the covered wagon floor.

Sarada helped Zari climbed in as well and closed the small door behind her. The three of them sitting together in the back while Zari's father, whose name was Graff, sat on the front of the wagon, guiding the donkey to Konoha. Zari chatted with Sarada nonstop, complimenting her earlier punch and telling them about her plans on buying flowers with her money for her sick mother back home. Sarada smiled at that, but couldn't help but send a worried glance over to Boruto. Graff and Zari had both said Konoha was fine, but less than 24 hours ago it had been a burning wasteland. What was going on?

"So, what's her name?" Zari pointed at Himawari's sleeping form.

"Oh, that's my little sister, Himawari," Boruto told the girl.

Zari's eyes filled with wonder and curiosity "Like the sunflower?"

"Yup. Exactly like it."

"Wow! Oh, hold on for a sec!" Zari dug through the packages in the back, carefully staying on the opposite side of the tied-up bandits. "There it is! My flower bag!" She pulled out a stuffed bag filled with all sorts of flowers. Digging through it, she pulled out a single sunflower. Pulling out a pair of scissors as well, she trimmed the flower's long stalk to no longer than her fist, and carefully placed the sunflower in Himawari's hair. "There! Now everyone will know she has such a pretty name."

Boruto couldn't help but smile at that sweet gesture. That girl was definitely cute. She reminded him of Himawari when she was her age. He thought back on those times, sinking into nostalgia as the wagon made its way down the road, to an intact and well Konoha, apparently.

"Hey, Mister!" Zari's voice attracted his attention. "What are you most excited about seeing in Konoha when we get there? I wanna see the five huge stone faces!" She waved her arms to stress the 'huge' part.

Boruto shook his head "We already told you, Konoha is dangerous right now, you shouldn't-" he stopped mid-sentence and stared at the girl "Did you just say five faces?"

Zari tilted her head in confusion. "Yeah. The five faces of the Hokage, duh. Everyone knows that." She explained it to him like he was an idiot. Boruto and Sarada exchanged a glance. The last time they'd checked, there were seven faces on the mountain of Konoha. Not five. True, last time they'd checked, those faces had been blown up and falling apart, but there had still been seven. At least, since they'd been born.

Himawari made a cute noise in her sleep as she turned and tossed around. Sarada had checked on her when they boarded the wagon. She was fine, and it seemed that Boruto's theory about the broken ribs was wrong. Boruto smiled as he watched his little sister sleep blissfully. Zari was chatting with Sarada again, making flower crowns with the flowers from her bag and placing one made out of cherry blossom branches and flowers on top of Sarada's head. The sight of a slightly blushing Sarada with a flower crown on her head was enough for Boruto to break out in laughter. Sarada immediately punched him in the face, nearly knocking him out. Zari laughed at that while Boruto pouted. Himawari slept. Graff made some comments about the view. Zari chatted about her favorite things and her village. Sarada learned how to make flower crowns. Boruto napped for a bit. Himawari slept. They stopped for lunch. Boruto and Sarada practically inhaled their food. Zari and Graff laughed at their behavior. Himawari still slept. They finished lunch and got back to the wagon. Zari napped next to a still sleeping Himawari. Boruto watched the passing scenery, making a flower crown with left-over flowers Zari left on the floor of the wagon as Sarada napped against his shoulder.

He thought about what Zari had said. If what she'd said about there being five stone faces on the Konoha mountain was true… no. He couldn't let himself think like that. His hands absentmindedly worked on the flower crown, bending the flower stalks, pulling and tying. He thought about flowers. His mother loved those. And so, had his father. Once, Hinata had told Boruto of the small garden his father used to have on his balcony. When Boruto had asked his mother how she knew that, since his father mentioned his gardening hobby was a secret, Hinata's face reddened and she quickly changed the subject. He smiled at the memory. His mother had always been a source of comfort for him. She was the strongest person he knew, enduring years of loneliness when his father worked late, never complaining and always making his and Himawari's needs as a priority, not caring about her own. He thought about the meaning of her name. 'A place in the sun'. Himawari's name was a play on that meaning and his father had always been proud of the fact he'd come up with that little wordplay. Their last name, Uzumaki, meant 'sunshine'. Boruto honestly couldn't imagine a better name for his mother than that. It fit her character so well. She was a warm person and seemed to always warm others. When Kawaki had first arrived at their home, he had a hard time fitting in with their family, but she didn't let him feel out of place. She'd made extra efforts to break down his walls, comforting him when he had nightmares during his time with Jigen and Kara. Making him hot chocolate whenever he wanted after she found out about his sweet tooth. He'd really liked her cooking and even helped her out in the kitchen from time to time without her asking him to. Himawari took a lot after their mother as well, warming up to Kawaki early on, easily forgiving him for having broken her vase and being nothing but accepting of both his strengths and weaknesses. Boruto sometimes suspected there might have been something more between the two, but never confirmed it, and honestly, he eventually came to admit that as long as his younger sister was happy, he'd support her. Not that it was hard to please the girl, as she would smile and cherish every small moment in her small world.

Elana, her best friend, used to say that that's what attracted her to Himawari in the first place. The warmth and happiness that just radiated out of the lavender-haired girl in waves. They said sunflowers always faced the sun, and only bloomed in the sunshine. Boruto had a different opinion. In his perspective, the sun made a conscious effort to face the sunflower, as it always smiled when the sun's light warmed it.

The flower crown was complete. It was a mix of white lilies, yellow daisies, and sunflower stalks. Apparently, he'd subconsciously chosen flowers that reminded him of his family. He smiled as he ran his fingers across the flowers. He did a much better job than he'd anticipated.

Next to him, Sarada stirred, slowly removing her head from his shoulder. "Boruto? Why are you crying?" She hadn't expected him to break down in front of them, even if they were sleeping.

Boruto touched his cheek, surprised to feel it wet from tear trails. He wiped the tears away and took a deep breath. _'Not yet,'_ he told himself. _'I can't cry just yet.'_

"Here." He placed the flower crown he made on her head, on top of the one Zari'd made for her. "Now you have two." He fixed it a bit, making sure it was stable. His fingers lingered in her hair a moment longer before he retracted his hand back to his side.

Sarada's cheeks were tinged red, and she didn't make any eye contact with him.

Boruto chuckled at her embarrassment. He found it adorable.

Next to them, Zari also stirred, slowly waking up and rubbing her eyes groggily. "'Morning," she said.

"Morning, honey. Sleep well?" Graff asked.

She nodded and climbed over the many boxes and crates that separated the covered wagon from the bench where the driver sat. Sitting next to her father, she looked ahead at the road. Her eyes widening in amazement, she gasped. "Wahhh! Is that Konoha?"

The man smiled at her. "That's right, sweetie. We're almost there." He turned to Boruto and Sarada. "Might want to try and wake her up before we get to the gates. Oh, and the bandits. Can't wait to get rid of them and hand them to the shinobi at the gate."

Boruto and Sarada's brows furrowed. Why would the two merchants be excited about Konoha? It should look like a warzone, not a sunny warm place. But the boxes and merchandise were blocking their view of the front and they couldn't see what Zari and Graff were looking at. The fleeting memory of Zari mentioning the five stone faces came to Boruto's mind before he dismissed it. There was no way what he was thinking was true. That would be stupid. And dumb. And stupid. And… hope-inspiring?

_No, it's stupid,_ Boruto harshly thought. He couldn't get his hopes up. Not right now.

The wagon came to a halt and Boruto looked at Sarada. No matter what happened now, they had to stick together and protect Himawari. After getting off the wagon, Boruto offered his hand to Sarada and helped her off. They grabbed the unconscious bandits from the back and placed them on the ground. They exchanged looks and nodded.

Looking up, their eyes widened in shock and their jaws dropped as they tried to comprehend what they were looking at.

In front of them stood, large and tall, green as ever, the gates of Konohagakure. And beyond those, was the village. Though not exactly as they knew it, there was no doubt it was it. Gulping, Sarada grabbed Boruto's arm, shakily pointing at the Hokage faces. Boruto slowly looked up, all of his body telling him it couldn't be true, that he must be dreaming, but his eyes couldn't be lying to him.

On the mountainside, were the Hokage faces. Five of them.

The last time that had been the case was 18 years ago.

Boruto, Sarada and Himawari were in the past.

* * *

**Author's note: **so here we are at chapter 3! Or… 2! Depends how you look at it I guess. This is the third chapter I'm writing in one night. I know the other two have been short and I promise it won't always be that way, but how much can I seriously write about walking around a forest? It had to end at some point.

Anyway, I just wanted to explain that the previous chapter 'Branches', this chapter 'Flowers', and the next chapter 'Leaves' are actually a three-part deal. It's like a mini-arc inside the arc. Fun, right? Hahahahaha I'm so tired:)

Thank you for reading! Please review and tell me what you thought!

**Beta Reader: **Bizu Campeche, the beta superhero.


	4. Leaves

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I did get some sleep though, so now I can get back to writing chapters without collapsing!**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 4: Leaves**

* * *

Disbelief struck them hard. They truly were in the past, weren't they? The Konoha of 18 years ago.

"How could this happen?" Sarada whispered, her grasp at Boruto's arm tightening. "I mean, sure, in theory, time travel was always a possibility. But to actually experience it is…" She was at a loss for words.

Boruto nodded, still staring at the Hokage faces on the mountain. His grandfather's face was up there, near Granny Tsunade's face. But there were no sixth or seventh faces. It felt… odd. He'd grown up looking at those two other heads on the mountain. Hell, he'd fought on top of his father's rocky face less than a day ago! And now it wasn't there. Gone without a trace.

_No,_ he told himself. _You're losing focus. Remember, you're technically in an unfamiliar environment. Stay rational and level-headed. You can spiral later._

Sometimes Boruto wished he hadn't spent all that time with his master, as he was pretty sure that was the Uchiha patriarch voice he had just heard. But that voice was right either way. No time for losing it now. He had to focus on Himawari, who was still sleeping. He should probably take her to the hospital for a check-up. But how was he going to explain the fact that she was blood-related to both Naruto Uzumaki and the Hyūga clan? And Sarada. She was an Uchiha in a world that currently only had two of them right now. If they did a simple DNA test on her it would raise all kinds of red flags. He needed someone he could trust on the inside. Someone with enough authority to make sure no one bothered them, but also someone to whom he was close enough to make sure their secret wouldn't get out. He didn't think it would be good for people to know that they were time travelers from the future. That would make things a lot harder in an already difficult situation.

_Who to trust?_ he pondered as he stared at the Hokage stone faces. His eyes landed on Tsunade's face, and a light bulb turned on in his head. _That's it!_ Tsunade could help them, and she was the Hokage! No one would there question her authority. Now, to plan how to get to her…

"-ruto. Boruto!" Sarada yelled in his ear, startling him. "Jeez, I've been calling out your name for like, five minutes straight! What are you spaced out for?" She pouted angrily.

"I was thinking of a strategy." He explained as they walked back to the wagon. Graff and Zari were talking to one of the shinobi who guarded the gate. It seemed that they were explaining why there were two bruised teenagers and one sleeping one with them. It must be a fun conversation.

"A strategy?" Sarada tilted her head in confusion.

"It's something I learned from watching Shikadai," Boruto told her as he leaned his back against the wagon's side. "Always have a game plan. Never go into enemy territory without one."

"Enemy territory? It's Konoha." Sarada looked even more confused. "I mean, I know we're in the past and all, but why do we need to treat this like an infiltration mission?"

Boruto pointed at her. "Exactly. We're in the past. It's a different village from what we know. Everything is different here. The layout, the shops, the people. Remember, this is a time of war. The security is much tighter than in our time, and they're much more suspicious of strangers. What will they do when three odd-looking strangers suddenly appear in the village looking totally lost?" He asked her.

Sarada's eyes widened in realization. "They'll think we're enemy spies."

Boruto nodded. "Exactly. That's why I'm planning to go talk with Granny Tsunade as soon as possible."

"With Lady Tsunade? Why?"

"Well, if there's one person we can trust with the information of us being from the future it's the Hokage. I have some ties with her, so maybe I can pull some strings in the name of nepotism."

"That's a terrible plan, Boruto." Sarada shook her head. "You're forgetting, Lady Tsunade doesn't know who you are yet. And remember how much you look exactly like Lord Seventh at this age. She'll think it's some kind of trick. We need to get some proof we are who we say we are."

Boruto nodded. Sarada's plan sounded a lot smarter than his.

"And we need to think about what we are going to do with Himawari." Sarada reminded him. "Seriously, how much can that girl sleep?" She looked amazed at Himawari's snooze prowess.

Boruto shrugged. "It must be the aftereffect of the destruction. She fought a lot. Saw a lot of deaths as well. I think she's as exhausted mentally as she is physically."

Sarada's gaze clouded. "Yeah, I can understand that." Both of them stood silent for a moment, each with their own thoughts. Of family, of friends. Of home.

"Hey, you guys!" Zari appeared from behind the wagon. "Daddy says we can go in the village now, so you need to get back on the wagon!"

Snapping out of their thoughts, they smiled at her. "Coming!"

They boarded the wagon again and it slowly rolled into the village through the oh-so-familiar green gates. Boruto and Sarada watched the village of their childhood as it once was, with lively shops and houses spread around the streets. Boruto found it strange to watch, as a few hours ago he'd watched houses and shops in the exact same spots, only burning and broken. Everything had been in ruins. People hadn't even been screaming at that time. They'd all been dead. The air had been filled with smoke, not clear and refreshing. The sky had not been blue and bright. No smiling faces. They'd all been dead. Dead. Dead, because he couldn't protect them. Dead, because he'd brought danger to them. Dead, because he'd been weak. Because of him-

"Hey, Boruto." Sarada laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You okay there?"

"Yeah." He answered, his voice a bit stuffy. "Just thinking."

"Nuh-uh." Sarada shook her head. "I know you. You're spiraling again and blaming yourself."

Boruto smiled sadly at her, his one eye seeming darker than its usual bright shade. "I guess you know me too well. You're right, I'm not okay." He told her before turning his head back to the road, watching the village around them. "But I can't focus on that right now. Not with so much at stake. I want to be sure we're safe before I can..." Before he could let himself feel, was what he wanted to say.

Sarada nodded, watching the road as well. "I understand. I'm the same way." She squeezed his hand. "Just know you can talk to me about anything, okay?"

Boruto nudged her with his shoulder. "And you with me. From now on it's just you, me and Himawari against the world."

Sarada smiled. "Yeah. Just us."

Boruto scanned the people on the streets. "Hey, do you think we'll see our parents' younger selves here?"

"I don't know. I hope I'll see Mama around. But I'm pretty sure Papa was away from the village during this time. I wonder how old they are now?"

"Hima will probably be pretty happy to meet mom's younger self. And I guess meeting dad will also be pretty cool," Boruto said, glancing at his sleeping sister.

"Hey, Boruto?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we could… I don't know, start over here? Like, a fresh new start. A new life."

Boruto stared at her for a few moments before glancing back at the Hokage stone faces. "I don't know. I hope so." Out of his pouch, he pulled out the headband that belonged to his master, tracing the two large slashes on it with his finger, lingering on the vertical one. It was the one made the same day he got his scar. He placed the headband back in his pouch and gave her a half-smile. "I really hope so."

"So, what do you find the strangest here?"

"Probably the Hokage faces," he answered without much thought. "It's weird seeing five instead of seven."

"Oh, because you know sooo much about them after spending years vandalizing them, right?" She rolled her eyes.

"I was just making them look awesome. They were all so boring, all brown and stuff. They needed much more color. Besides, it was my gift to the people. As the most popular person in the village, they needed something from their local idol to get through the day." At that, both he and Sarada burst into laughter, with Sarada laughing so hard tears streamed from her eyes.

"Local idol, yeah right! More like the local idiot."

"Hey, guys?" Graff looked over the boxes at them. "We're stopping here for lunch. You're welcome to join us. There's this great ramen stand. I'm sure you're gonna like it. It's called Ichiraku."

Boruto and Sarada exchanged looks. "I swear, that place could probably survive a shinobi war," Boruto mumbled under his breath as Sarada thanked Graff and said they'll join him and Zari for lunch.

They got off the wagon and stretched their limbs. Walking into the stand after the father and daughter, they made notice of how much smaller the restaurant was compared to their time.

"Welcome!" Ayame greeted them as they took a seat on the bar stools. "What would you like to- eh? Naruto?!" She yelled when her eyes landed on Boruto.

Teuchi appeared next to her and stared at Boruto as well, both too shocked to act.

Boruto internally sighed. He knew his similarity to his father would cause problems. He'd have to take care of that soon.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but my name is Boruto, not Naruto. You must be confusing me with someone else."

"S-sorry about that," Ayame apologized, still staring at his face. "You just look so much like one of our customers, it's almost uncanny!"

Boruto waved her off, feeling a tad uncomfortable. He did have a scar on his right eye, right? He wasn't imagining that? Sure, they both had blonde hair and blue eyes, but that's where it ended, right? Those people were acting like blue-eyed blondes were a rare thing!

"A-anyway," Ayame tried to cut the awkward air around them. "What can I get you?"

Graff examined the menu before turning back to her. "I'll have the miso one. It tasted great the last I was here." He turned to Zari. "What do you want to eat?"

Zari tapped her chin with her finger, deep in thought. "I want… spicy ramen! Do you have any?"

The young woman gave it a thought before smiling. "We have great ramen with spicy chicken noodles. Would that work?"

Zari smiled and clapped her hands. "Yay!"

Ayame turned to Boruto and Sarada. "And what would you two be having?"

"Miso ramen with chasu pork for me," Boruto said.

"I'll take a shio one, please."

Ayame smiled. "Sure thing." She went to her father and gave him the order, and the two started working on the food.

Graff turned to Boruto and Sarada. "So, now that we have more time, wanna tell us where you're from, and what were you doing in the middle of a forest, with one knocked-out girl?"

Sarada nearly choked on her water and coughed. Boruto patted on her back. When Ayame glanced over worriedly, Sarada straightened, wiping her mouth with the napkin Boruto offered her.

"We- um…" she was at a loss. "We came from- uh…"

"Our village has been destroyed by bandits," Boruto intervened.

Ayame gasped, and Teuchi and Graff shifted uncomfortably.

"Me and Sarada, as well as my little sister, are the only survivors. Everyone else was killed by the bandits. We fought them, but they knocked out Sarada and my sister, Himawari. We barely escaped. I carried them both on my back. Eventually, we ran into you when you were being robbed by those bandits, so I jumped in and fought them, and during the fight, Sarada woke up and helped me take them down. Himawari still hasn't woken up, though." He might have left out the portal and the clone, but other than that, it was the truth.

Sympathy and comfort from Ayame and Teuchi washed over them like waves. Ayame looked at them with sadness in her eyes.

"Oh, you poor things!" She looked like she wanted to jump over the counter and hug them. Boruto appreciated that she held back; he wasn't much of a hugging person.

"It's alright. You don't have to worry about us."

"You should definitely talk to the Hokage. I'm sure she'll let you stay in the village if you just asked her" Teuchi recommended them as he placed their bowls of ramen on the counter. "And then if you ever wanted ramen you could come here and I'll serve it to you for free!"

Boruto nodded. "Thank you. And about talking to the Hokage, believe me, that's on top of my to-do list."

All four customers clapped their hands together and said their thanks before digging in. The ramen was great, and it reminded Boruto of his father. To Sarada, it reminded that time her father was in the village and Lord Seventh dragged both Uchiha and Uzumaki families to Ichiraku's. That was a pleasant evening. Halfway through their meal, Boruto and Sarada noticed that Ayame was standing and watching them expectantly.

"Uh… Ayame-san? Is something wrong?" Sarada asked her.

Ayame waved her off. "Oh, no. It's just, you haven't told me what you thought of the ramen yet."

Boruto and Sarada realized that in Ayame's mind, it was their first time eating at Ichiraku's. They quickly swallowed and smiled at her.

"It tastes great!" Sarada said.

"Yeah, it reminds me of my dad," Boruto said.

Ayame clapped her hands. "I'm so glad you like it, then!"

_What would have happened if we didn't like it?_ Boruto dared to wonder. From his experience, women were scary and were not to be angered. He decided there were some questions that best remained unanswered if he wanted to keep living.

The rest of the lunch was rather pleasant. Stories were exchanged and conversations were made. Boruto and Sarada enjoyed the relaxation very much. The owner and his daughter treated them like family and told them to stop by anytime they pleased. They were both surprised by the shop owners' compassion, but grateful nonetheless.

_Maybe we can have a new life here, after all,_ Sarada thought.

The lunch ended with Boruto and Sarada building a strong bond with the ramen makers. Finishing the last of their meal, they got up and bid farewell to both Teuchi and Ayame, as well as Graff and Zari.

"Do you have to go?" Zari asked the two. She seemed sad to see them leave, and Sarada felt nothing but affection to the little girl who'd taught her how to make flower crowns and had chatted with her all the way to Konoha.

Crouching down, she removed one of the flower crowns she had lowered to her neck when they started eating and placed it on Zari's head. It was the one Boruto made. She patted the girl's head and smiled. "We'll see you the next time you visit, okay?"

"Do you promise?" Zari asked, offering up her pinky for a pinky swear.

Sarada hummed in agreement. "I promise."

They both locked pinkies in a cute way, smiling at each other.

Boruto stood from a distance and watched them, smiling. He silently bid his farewell to the shop owners and Graff, nodding his head curtly, before going out to get the sleeping Himawari out of the wagon. Coming out of the restaurant, he noticed that the sun has begun to set.

Sarada came out as well, noticing Boruto look at the sun, he looked captivated by the colors painted across the sky: gold, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple.

"You know…" she began. "I really think we could start fresh here."

He turned to her, smiling. Sarada found his smile was much more captivating than the sun.

"I think so too." He glanced at the Hokage tower. "We should probably swing by Granny Tsunade's office. You know, to tell her that me and Hima are the future kids of the future Hokage and a former Hyūga clan heiress and that you are the child of the future head of the Konoha hospital and the world's second-best medic she trained by herself for three years and of the last Uchiha survivor, who has a criminal record." He said dryly. "Oh, and after that, we should go tell Kakashi he never gets married and spends his days competing against a green-latex-wearing lunatic in a wheelchair. You know, for funsies."

Sarada laughed at that, though shivered at the thought of actually telling her eccentric silver-haired uncle such a thing. He probably wouldn't take it well.

"Let's not do _that..._ But we do have to go to visit Lady Tsunade and ask her to help us. And also give her some kind of proof to convince her that we're from the future." She stopped to think for a second before turning to him again, her forehead wrinkled. "Do you think she'll freak out?"

Boruto gave her a face that said, "would you?"

And she surmised they thought alike. The Hokage was going to break something when she found out, for sure. All they needed to do was hope that they're not the "things" she'd wanna break. But, if they were going to live here, they needed to tackle everything head-on, full-force.

"I'll get Hima, and then we can go." Boruto hoped that the Hokage would take a look at Himawari as well. Not that he didn't trust Sarada's judgment, but when presented with the opportunity to have the world's best medic have a look, one wouldn't turn it down.

Climbing up to the wagon, he rubbed his head and looked around. Something did not feel right. Blinking, he noticed the thin blanket the covered Himawari lacked one lavender-haired girl underneath it. Himawari was not in the wagon.

"What the hell?! Hima? Where are you?" Boruto spun around.

"What happened?" Sarada appeared behind him and noticed the empty wagon. "Where's Himawari?"

"I don't know. She disappeared." Boruto was starting to panic. "She was so deep asleep, though. Maybe someone took her?"

He bolted out of the wagon and into the street, scanning the faces of everyone around them.

Himawari wasn't in the crowd.

"This is bad," he murmured.

"Yeah. We've got a possibly-kidnapped time traveler. And if she's awake, she's unaware that she's a time traveler." Sarada gulped nervously. "Where the hell could she be?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure as hell not losing my sister, kidnapped or not." Boruto made a quick hand sign, and four clones appeared. "Himawari's missing. Find her, and bring her to me."

They nodded and scattered in all directions. Technically, she was their sister too. They were probably worried as well. Taking out the rest of their belongings from the wagon, she and Boruto took to the streets as well. But Boruto knew they wouldn't cover enough ground this way. Swiftly jumping onto a nearby lower rooftop, he began scanning the masses of people in search of his little sister. Sarada was doing the same on the opposite rooftop.

_Himawari. Where are you?_

* * *

Himawari felt dizzy and nauseous. She was disoriented, tired and confused. So, so confused.

She'd woken up in a strange wagon and she wondered where she was before realizing she was in an unfamiliar place and attempted to escape immediately. Now, she'd been wondering these foreign streets, completely baffled as to what to do next.

"Where am I?" She asked out loud. She felt helpless. Lost. Not sure where to go or who to find. She was so tired. All she wanted was to close her eyes. Her body hurt. She was filthy. She wanted to sleep forever, preferably in a bed. But more than anything else, she wanted her big brother. She wanted him to comfort her and tell her everything was okay and that she could rest. She wanted her family.

Wandering along some side streets for what seemed like an eternity, she finally arrived at a large house. It was a very nice house, and it had a huge wall surrounding it. But the more she tried to focus on the details, her sight lost focus, and she began to sway from side to side. The house was so familiar in its air. She briefly wondered how she ended up there, from all places, but decided it didn't matter. All that mattered now was sleep. Yes, sleep sounded lovely right about now.

She noticed a big, shady tree at a playground nearby. She stumbled to it, barely managing to walk anymore. She felt ever dizzier, and her vision got blurrier. She sighed in relief before collapsing to the ground, unconscious. The leaves from the tree twirled in the air as they fell and coated the girl's hair, that already had a small sunflower tucked in it. A few other leaves fell from one of the branches.

But before they could reach Himawari, a sudden wind carried them all the way to the big house's doorsteps.

The sign above the door marked the house as the property of none other than the prestigious Hyūga Clan.

* * *

**Author's note: **Welcome back to chapter 3! Did you all enjoy the last chapter? I know I did *snickers evilly*. I've been somewhat of a writing machine these past few days, and I wrote around six chapters, two of them are future ones that won't be up for at least a few months!

I still have no idea how to name this fic. Again, I'm so jealous you already know. I tried to ask my Tumblr followers for help, but no luck. Oh well, I'm sure it'll come to me! _Someday… _

But in all seriousness, this fic is such a delight to write. I enjoy every second of it. Also, if you're wondering why Boruto and Sarada are not sad about their village, family, and friends dying, don't worry. They are. _Believe me. _But right now two things are keeping them together; denial and the mission. A shinobi must not show his feelings, and since they both have a deep connection with Sasuke, I imagine it's not difficult for them to focus on the mission and not on the pain. Jk, I love my dark and emo Uchiha.

Anyway, don't forget to review so I can know what you think! Thank you for reading!

**Beta Reader: **Bizu Campeche, who tolerates all of my bad writing and betas for me anyways.


	5. Unexpected Connection 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Yesterday I posted the prologue of the story to the site. Yay me!**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 5: Unexpected Connection 1**

* * *

If someone were to tell Neji all that would happen to him today, he would have punched them in the gut and locked himself up in his room until the weekend came.

It all started with the training exercise. Oh, the cursed training exercise.

Might Gai had decided that their team needed a little bit more… "youthfulness" in their dynamics. So at the crack of dawn, the three of them stood in front of the Green Beast of Konoha, on the training ground, waiting to be "youthified" by him. Was that even a real word? Seeing as he and Tenten were, you know, normal, they'd been less than happy about waking up so early and getting a full shot of the Gai-Lee duo shenanigans before breakfast. Neji had been extremely on edge since Gai had declared today a day of youth and spring and renewal, i.e. a day of sore muscles and migraines.

They started out with basic warm-up exercises: 200 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 50 laps around the training ground. By the end, Neji felt like cursing the gods, kicking a puppy, and drowning himself in the river for good measure. And Neji Hyūga did not believe in suicide. Nor kicking puppies.

Tenten wasn't much better off, mumbling death threats directed at their sensei and teammate; he swore he caught her mentioning, among other things, "target practice," "poison," and, much to his horror, "castration."

Tenten was not a morning person.

After their warm-up, Might Gai announced they would be having a four-way spar, yelling something about how sparring with your comrades was the "youthful way of life" and Lee agreeing with him, saying that "the springtime of youth" was always in his heart. They started hugging after that and calling each other's names.

Neji knew by now to avert his gaze from their embrace. He had already experienced hallucinations when watching them do it in the past, such as seeing a sunset and a cliff with waves crashing over it behind them as they went about their manly hug. The first time he watched them do it, he called in sick the next day and spent the remaining hours of his wake screaming into a pillow. It's not that he was really opposed to public displays of affections or anything, but Gai and Lee were a "special" case when it came to those things.

If only Naruto was there with him, and only because of his loud voice and hyperactive nature were just a tad more bearable in comparison to his sensei and Lee.

After Gai and Lee's long-winded hug (they stayed in each other's arms for ten minutes, crying about youth and Springtime), they began the four-way sparring session. It was harder than usual, but nothing that his Byakugan couldn't handle. It was these kinds of situations that the dōjutsu was meant for, anyways.

Tenten had come up with a new weapon trick, where she used three scrolls at once and threw them in three different directions, managing to hurl weapons at the three of them at the same time.

Neji used a Rotation move and easily dodged her weapons, only to be surprise-attacked by Lee, who sent a powerful kick in the direction of his face. Barely deflecting Lee's leg in time, he dove under it as Tenten threw a kunai his way before going back to her fight against Gai.

Lee then launched at her and threw a punch at her shoulder, which left him completely open and in Neji's range. But before he could enact one of his clan's techniques, Might Gai flew in with a Dynamic Kick, forcing Neji to change direction and fend for himself against his sensei.

Their sparring session went on for about two hours, earning them bruises from various attacks and cuts from Tenten's weapons before even Lee became somewhat exhausted. Panting heavily, the two Chūnin and two Jōnin collapsed on the ground.

Well, Gai didn't exactly collapse as much as he fell onto his hands and did a quick set of pushups. Tenten kicked Lee in the shin when he suggested they'd follow their sensei's example, and if Neji wasn't suffering from exhaustion and a light migraine, he might have joined her in doing so.

Even after drinking up all the water he'd brought with him, it didn't quite quench his thirst. Their "training" had ended at around 10 in the morning. Tenten and Lee left to their respective homes, and Gai went to bother his "rival," Kakashi, for a match against him. Neji was relaxing on a bench next to the training ground, sitting under the shade of a tree and wondering what would be the most effective way to soothe his headache. Eyes closed, he heard the footsteps of someone approaching. He barely had the energy to open his eyes, let alone stand and see who was coming his way. Straining his ears, he managed to distinguish the sound of a rustling plastic bag, probably a grocery one. The footsteps were getting closer, and a familiar presence washed over him. A feeling he knew all-too-well crept upon him, and he prepared himself for what he knew was coming next.

"Neji-niisan!" Hanabi called her cousin.

He sighed, knowing there was no escaping his fate. Not this time. "Hello, Hanabi-sama," he greeted his cousin, slowly opening his eyes

The brown-haired girl stood in front of the bench he rested on, a grocery bag on her hand. "What's up, cousin?"

"Nothing much," he said, lifting an eyebrow at her bag. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh, this?" Hanabi raised her bag to get a better look at it. "I just thought that you'd be thirsty after practice, so when I was out buying ice cream I also got you a water bottle."

Now believing his cousin an angel, Naji gratefully accepted the cool water bottle she handed him, opening it immediately and downing its contents.

Hanabi parked herself next to him, taking out two frozen ice creams and offering him one. "Want it?"

His stomach now empty, Neji accepted the ice cream as well, and the two spent a few minutes in silence, eating their frozen treats.

Hanabi licked at her cone happily, while Neji simply took small bites of it. Both of them shared the same love for vanilla-blueberry ice cream for some unknown reason, since neither of them had really given much thought to it. they just saw it one time when they were out shopping and gravitated towards it, and had ever since bought it every chance the got. They didn't complain since it tasted really good, but the taste was definitely a unique one. Neji kinda thought that the ice cream was a lot like Hinata: sweet, with little bursts of surprises. It fit Hinata's description in his eyes quite well.

After they finished their ice cream, Neji felt much better. All he wanted to do now was go home and have a cup of tea outside. Maybe sit in front of the koi pond and read a book. Yeah, that sounded perfect.

"Hey, Neji-niisan~" Hanabi began, drawling her words, and he knew there was a reason why she was suddenly so nice to him. "Now that you're rested up, you don't mind going shopping with me, now do you?" A sneaky glint shone in her eyes.

Neji groaned internally. Going shopping with his younger cousin usually meant that he had to carry all her bags for her and wait for hours for her to pick some piece of clothing she was never going to wear anyway. _But she did do something nice for you,_ his internal compass reminded him. _Shouldn't you return the favor?_

_Sometimes I hate it when I'm right, _Neji thought.

"...Fine. I'll go shopping with you." He gave in to the Hyūga heiress. Hanabi jumped for joy and danced around him, hands in the air. "Yay! We're gonna have so much fun!" She grabbed Neji's hand and began to drag him behind her. "Let's go, cousin!"

Neji sighed. This was going to be a long day. He could already feel his migraine coming back.

A few hours and thirteen shopping bags later, Hanabi and the ever-weary Neji made their way back to the Hyūga Compound. Neji sometimes wondered whether Hanabi saw him as a servant, or worse, a slave. Sure felt that way. As much as he loved his cousin, she was headstrong and forceful; she was so different from her older sister, one could barely tell they were related. Hinata was shy and gentle. Hanabi was confident and brash. He supposed that was why Hanabi was chosen to be the heiress instead of Hinata. From the clan's point of view, Hinata didn't have the backbone to lead the stoic and strong Hyūga Clan. That was where they were wrong, in his opinion, as Hinata was stronger than she let on. He knew it. Hanabi knew it. Hiashi knew it. Hell, even Naruto knew it. The only ones who didn't were the clan elders, or as Neji secretly called them, the vaulters. They were truly the horrible ones.

"Say, Hanabi-sama," Neji remembered something. "Where is Hinata-sama today?"

"Hm? Nee-sama?" Hanabi sent him a surprised look, tilting her head and tapping her chin with her index finger. "I think she went out this morning to the training grounds. She said she wanted to work on a jutsu she's developing."

Hinata was developing a jutsu? What kind? How would it work? Why hadn't she come to him for help?

That last question took him by surprise. Did it really bother him that Hinata had not come to him in search of help? Why did that bother him so much?

_Because you want her to rely on you. Because you want her to trust you._

Yes, that was it. He and Hinata might have made their peace, but he still felt like they were strangers. Because of all the time he spent treating her like garbage when he was still full of anger, he'd ended up pushing her away. And although he apologized and she forgave him, there was still a wall between them. Not only between them, but also between Hinata, her father, and Hanabi. As much as each party wanted to try and break down the walls, fear prevented them from doing anything about it. While she'd forgiven them all for their mistreatment, it didn't mean that things would ever be like they were before. That was what Neji feared most. Because he was afraid she'd reject his attempts at reconnection just as he did with her, all those years ago. And he knew that that was also what made Hiashi and Hanabi afraid to try. Hinata hadn't said outright that she didn't want anything to do with them, but she also didn't say anything else, so none of them knew what she was thinking. Forget Hanabi being terrifying, Hinata was truly the scariest person he had ever met. It was always the quiet ones, wasn't it?

The wall grew bigger by the day, and if no one made a move to break it, it would eventually become impenetrable. If only he dared to take that step. To reach out his hand and ask. When had he become so insecure?

"Look, Neji-niisan! The old playground!" Hanabi pointed at the place from their childhood. It was a playground that belonged to the Hyūga Compound. Hanabi spent much of her free time on the swings and monkey bars. Neji had some memories of going down the slides, his father watching. Hanabi ran ahead to the monkey bars, leaving Neji with all the shopping bags. Since they seldom took that road home, they didn't often have the chance to walk by the playground. But because of a new boutique that opened up recently that Hanabi wanted to visit, they ended up changing their course home. Sighing at Hanabi's childish mannerism, Neji placed the shopping bags near the swings of the playground and walked after Hanabi. A small wind began to blow, making the leaves of the big tree at the corner of the playground to rustle as they moved. Neji looked at the tree's top, enjoying the breeze. Hanabi was climbing the monkey bars when the wind started but stopped in her place as it gently caressed her face. The two cousins stood, letting the wind ruffle their hair and breathed deep the clear air. Neji closed his eyes and filled his lungs, slowly releasing the air from his mouth.

His eyes opening, his gaze fixated on the tree once again. Letting it wander down, he noticed something strange. Under the tree, there was a girl around his age. She laid on the ground in a less than conventional way to sleep. Eyes widening, he rushed towards her. Hanabi noticed his quick movements, and her gaze darted to the unconscious girl as well. She quickly jumped off the monkey bars and ran over to her. Neji slid to his knees and gently picked up the girl's upper body into his arms. She was definitely unconscious and seemingly having passed out exactly under the tree. His fingers brushing her lavender-colored hair out of her face, he and Hanabi examined her face further. She had notable two whisker marks on each cheek, but overall her face was pretty cute. Her cheeks were puffed a little as she breathed slowly. Hanabi crouched down next to him and pulled out a handkerchief, wiping the filth off the girl's face with it. She examined the body of the girl and noticed the many bruises and cuts on her arms and legs.

"She's injured!" Hanabi gasped.

Carrying the girl in his arms, he got up.

"We should get her to a hospital," he told his brown-haired cousin.

Hanabi nodded. "You go ahead and take her there." She went and grabbed the shopping bags. "I'll put those inside and tell father where we are so he won't worry."

Neji took a long look at the girl in his arms. She had a few leaves tangled in her long hair, and together with them was a single sunflower.

"A sunflower…?" He wondered out loud before smiling slightly. "Alright then, I suppose I'll call you Hima. At least until you'll wake up." He sweatdropped at the fact he just talked to an unconscious person and gave her a name at that.

Making sure his hold on her was tight enough, Neji jumped to the nearest rooftop, making his way quickly to the Konoha hospital. While running, he didn't notice that the sunflower in the girl's hair fell down to the streets, landing on the ground, just as a blonde clone passed by.

* * *

The blonde clone bent down to pick up the flower that fell next to him, examining it. He then looked up to where the flower fell from. A silhouette on the rooftops was getting farther and farther away. The clone looked to the distance and tried to tell where it was going although the darkening sky was making it hard to see. Straining his eye, the clone managed to see the sign of the Konoha General Hospital. Of course! If someone found an injured girl wandering down the streets, they'll take her to the hospital! He had to deliver his realization to the original. About to dispel himself, the clone suddenly noticed a forgotten black hoodie and a black jacket thrown at the end of an alley. The clothes were a bit dirty and definitely did not smell pleasant, but in case of needing to hide something (like certain marks or symbols), those clothes would do the trick.

He grabbed the clothes and set out to the direction of the hospital, before stopping again, this time in front of a convenience store. An idea quickly forming in the clone's mind, he entered the store, trying to make himself look innocent and in a rush, which wasn't hard to do considering he kinda was. He went straight to the store clerk and put on his most helpless face.

"Excuse me?"

"Hello," the store clerk said. "What can I do for you today?"

"Well, this is embarrassing…" The clone rubbed his head. "You see, my little sister fell down and injured her knees. So I promised her I'd get her some bandages for it. But the thing is, I have no money on me. Do you think you could help me out?" He asked the clerk, putting on his best "worried-big-brother" face. It was one he wore often, anyways.

The clerk tapped his chin in thought, before shooting a look to the backroom door, which was closed. He ducked under the register counter and came up, a small box of white small bandages his hand. "Take those. Just don't say I gave them to you if anyone asks, okay?"

The Boruto clone smiled at him, but inside his mind, he was doing backflips in the air. This was so much better than what he hoped. "Thanks, man."

He ran for the hospital. The sun was going down at an alarming rate. It would be best if he could get there before night fell. That would make his plan easier.

Arriving about five minutes later at the hospital's entrance, the clone swiftly stuck both clothes and bandages box inside some nearby bushes. He took a few steps back and focused his gaze on the bush he hid the stuff in, memorizing it. He then made a quick hand sign and dispelled himself, sending his memories to the original.

* * *

It had been around two hours now that Himawari had disappeared from the wagon. Boruto and Sarada had turned over almost every stone and searched every nook in the village. They had broken into a sweat, the occasional tears, and Sarada was pretty sure some of her cuts reopened and was leaking blood everywhere. Around an hour after they started searching, Boruto was starting to lose hope. They'd scanned over half the village. He honestly wished he had his father's sage mode, so he could locate Himawari's chakra in seconds and go grab her already. But he would never give up. He'd turn over every stone in this enormous place twice if he had to.

They were both panicked and angry. Sarada, while not being related to Himawari through blood, had come to form a deep bond with the girl over the years. They used to go shopping together with the other girls, and sometimes just the two of them. The sparred as well, testing out the Byakugan against the Sharingan. So many shared secrets, laughter, and memories were between them, that Sarada felt like Himawari was one of the few that actually knew her. They had a strong sisterly bond, and losing her like this in the tremendous village had frightened the Uchiha heiress beyond words. What could have happened to the Uzumaki girl? If she had woken up and an enemy appeared, he'd have to be quite the formidable foe to best Himawari in a hand to hand combat. If she had woken up, but there was no enemy, then she would probably assume she was kidnapped, since she had woken up in an unfamiliar location. And what does one do when kidnapped? Try to escape. So if Sarada's hunch was right, Himawari was somewhere in the village, hurt and scared and confused since she wouldn't recognize this place.

Himawari was Boruto's precious little sister, the only family he had left, the one who understood him better than anyone else and the one who acted as his rock, his anchor to the world. She was his voice of reason, and the one he confided in. But even though she was smarter and more capable than he would ever be, she was still the younger sibling and he felt it was his duty as an older brother to protect her. He'd promised everyone he'd take care of her from now on, and here he was, barely day one on the job and she had already gone missing in this ginormous Konoha village of the past. He felt like crying. And Boruto Uzumaki did not cry.

It was already getting dark out, and almost all of his clones had already dispelled. All except for one.

"Boruto…" Sarada turned to face him.

"What is it?" He glanced her way swiftly before going back to scanning the street in front of them. Himawari wasn't there either, so the blonde jumped back onto the rooftops and continued making his way through the village.

He froze in place.

Sarada, who had been a few steps ahead of him, stopped as well and looked at him over her shoulder. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"The last clone…he dispelled," Boruto said, still processing his clone's memories. "And he found Himawari!"

"That's great!" Sarada exclaimed. "Where is she now?"

"The Konoha General Hospital. The clone saw someone carrying her there."

'So I was right!' Sarada thought victoriously.

Boruto's face immediately furrowed though. "Wait, it might not be her though."

Sarada was confused. She was sure her theory was correct. "How come?"

"The only clue we have that this is Himawari is that a sunflower fell from the person who was carrying who could potentially be Himawari," Boruto explained, rubbing his head.

"So our only clue… is a flower that fell from the sky?" Sarada summed it up, lifting an eyebrow. It sounded... sketchy.

Boruto shrugged and started heading toward the Konoha Hospital. "Hey, it's better than nothing!" He jumped to the next rooftop.

Sarada was left standing there, staring at the blonde's back. "Remind me again why I blush around that guy?" She mumbled to herself. Not even her own mind could explain why he made her so flustered. Sure, he had his moments, but most of the time he was an idiot. Oh, well. Maybe she'd find out one day.

"Hey, wait up! Boruto!"

* * *

_Why are there so many people in the hospital at this hour?_ Neji wondered as he walked into the lobby with Hima in his arms. Most of those in the waiting room were people who were waiting for checkups or prescription medication. Neji wasn't sure what to do with an unconscious girl in his arms, an empty receptionist desk, and a lot of sick and injured people surrounding them. Holding Hima closer to his chest, he scanned the bustling lobby for a doctor or a nurse that might be able to help him. That's when he noticed a pink bob among the crowd. Neji smiled. Finally, some good luck!

"Sakura!" He called out the pink-haired medic's name. Ever since Sakura began to apprentice under Tsunade, she'd been taking shifts in the hospital and helping doctors and nurses while learning how to take care of different kinds of injuries and diseases. She was the only Team 7 member still in the village. The other two were either on a training trip or a hunt for power with a man that may or may not be a pedophile. He had to give her props for still staying in the village and not going off on some vendetta of her own. God knows she had her reasons to do so, as well.

Sakura made her way to Neji with a pleasant expression on her face, though it soon disappeared when she noticed the unconscious girl in his arms. She beckoned for a staff member to attend to them immediately.

"What happened?" Sakura asked.

"Hanabi and I found her on our way back to the compound," Neji explained as calmly as he could. "She was lying unconscious under a tree in the playground behind the clan compound. She seemed injured, so I brought her here. Hanabi will be here soon as well."

Sakura nodded, as the staff member she called earlier brought a gurney to the scene. She beckoned the brown-haired Hyūga to place the unconscious girl on it, to which he did, albeit unwillingly for some reason unknown to him.

"You didn't happen to catch her name did you?" Sakura shot a glance at Neji. "We need one or else her name would be Unknown, and I don't think she'll appreciate being called that."

Neji opened his mouth to say he didn't know the girl's name but stopped himself. He had already given her a name, right?

"Hima," he said. "That's her name."

"Hima then," Sakura nodded to the medic beside her to take the patient away. They were going to have her scanned for any broken bones and have a full routine check-up. "Are you going to stay here?"

He nodded and crossed his arms.

"Alright," Sakura said. "Go to the waiting area then. I'll keep you posted as soon as I get her data." And with that, she walked away after the gurney and the medic.

Neji stood there for a moment, silent, before going off to the waiting area and sitting down at the first open seat he found. Everything was… well, not quiet, since the lobby was still booming with patients and staff, but that sound was becoming more like white noise. Indeed, everything was quiet until "they" barged in through the doors like maniacs and started to raise havoc.

Seeing as the staff was either too busy with patients or scared to stop those two, Neji reluctantly got up from his chair and went over to the front entrance, where they stood. He was going to do both him and the hospital a favor by kicking those two out.

As he got close to the two of them, he found the young man, who was wearing a black hoodie and it's hood covered his head, grabbing a staff member's arm and not letting go, although her more than few efforts to pull away from him. The girl behind the assaulter was also wearing black, a black jacket, and scanning the lobby while her partner held the medic's arm in his hand, not letting go yet. It seemed like he was trying to ask him something, but the man was too scared of a stranger grabbing his arm to actually listen.

The girl, in the meanwhile, had noticed Neji making his way over to them. Her eyes widened in what seemed like… recognition? Nevertheless, she quickly nudged her partner in the ribs with her elbow and gestured with her head to Neji, who was almost at their side by now. The young man didn't seem to listen, still trying to ask something of the man in his hold.

"-a girl with a ripped yellow hoodie and a skirt. Is she here? Did someone bring her here?" The hoodie-covered teen tried to ask the man.

"Get off me already!" In a final attempt at getting loose, the man finally pulled his arm out of the young man's hold, getting away from them as quick as possible.

Neji was still shocked at the description the hoodie-covered boy gave the man. It sounded exactly like the girl he brought in!

"Excuse me," Neji politely turned to the boy.

"Yeah, what?" The boy gave him a quick glance before going back to scanning the lobby like his partner. Before snapping his gaze back to Neji like a rocket, his face revealing shock. Now that he was finally looking at Neji, the brown-haired Hyūga was able to see the boy's full face. He had two white bandages covering his cheeks, and a lone scar stretching from right under his eyebrow down to his cheek, right across the boy's right eye. His left one though, it was a blue Neji had seen only once elsewhere. Though maybe a tad bluer than what Neji knew. It seemed like the boy was evaluating Neji just like Neji was him. As the boy straightened up, his hoodie came off, revealing a mop of spiky golden hair. Neji's face showed pure shock. The boy, who seemed around his age, looked exactly like Naruto! Well, minus the scar and bandages.

They both watched each other in shock.

"Uh…"

"Eh…?"

Truly, words of wisdom.

The raven-haired girl next to the Naruto-look alike facepalmed. "Oh for God's sake, this is ridiculous!" She yelled, seemingly exhausted. The boy next to her was still staring at Neji, although now it seemed as if he was trying to commit the brown-haired male to memory.

"I'm sorry about my friend here," the girl said. "He's an idiot." She then proceeded to kick the blonde ferociously in the shin, jolting him awake from his shocked state and making him kneel over in pain. "What were you saying?" she asked Neji sweetly as if nothing happened.

Neji shook his head to clear out his confusion. "Right. Well, I overheard the description you gave that man, and I couldn't help but compare it to a girl I brought in less than ten minutes ago."

The blonde immediately stopped fussing over his hurt leg and stood up, hope burning in his eye. "Did she have sort-of black-lavender hair?"

Neji nodded, "Yes, and she had a sunflower in her head but it had fallen off when I was carrying her."

The blonde seemed so relieved and happy he looked like he was ready to melt on the floor and just be done for the day. The girl, on the other hand, was still tensed a bit. "So, where is she now?"

"A medic took her to get a scan and a check-up. They should be keeping me updated." He glanced at the blonde. "You probably want to stay as well. Right?"

The blonde and raven nodded, and the three proceeded to go back to the waiting area and sit down, the two of them sitting exactly across from Neji. The blonde seemed to be having a difficult time trying not to look directly at Neji, who was staring him down with his unbreaking gaze.

"I forgot to ask," Neji decided to break the ice. "How do you know the girl, exactly?"

The blonde's eyebrows raised and he honestly seemed surprised at the question. "Hm? She's my little sister."

Neji was definitely curious now. The girl and the boy looked almost nothing alike, aside for maybe their face shape. Honestly, the girl looked more like a Hyūga to Neji other than a random person. He actually wondered about that for a brief while, since he thought her being a Hyūga would explain why she fell unconscious behind their compound.

"Did they give her a name or just went with Unknown in her chart?" The raven-haired bespectacled girl next to the blonde asked Neji, surprising him with the amount of knowledge she had about the hospital's working.

"I gave her a name," Neji said slowly. "I told them to call her Hima." Hima's brother's eyebrows raised so high up Neji was pretty sure even the boy's sealed shut-eye would soon open and widen with shock, his expression almost comical. What did surprise him so much, anyway?

"You named her...Hima," the blonde repeated after him. "Why?"

Neji tilted his head. "I just saw a sunflower in her hair, so I called her Hima."

The bespectacled girl smiled widely and touched the flower crown that was situated around her neck. "We'll have to thank Zari the next time we see her, then." She told the blonde beside her who nodded in agreement. She then turned to face Neji. "The girl's name is Himawari," she informed him. "It's amazing how close you were to her actual name."

He shrugged. It was pretty uncanny how he almost got her actual name right.

"Speaking of names," he realized. "You still haven't told me yours."

That seems to have shaken the blonde out of his trance. He blinked at Neji for a few moments before answering. "You're right," he pointed at the girl beside him. "This is Sarada, and my name's Boruto."

Neji nodded at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you two," he said. "My name is Neji Hyūga."

Sarada suddenly seemed to be choking laughter, while Boruto mumbled something under his breath Neji could have sworn was "You don't say?".

"Neji-niisan!" Hanabi called him as she walked towards them from the lobby.

"Hanabi-sama, you're here." Neji greeted his cousin.

Sarada was now actively trying to hold in her laughter and Boruto facepalmed, muttering something under his breath again.

"Oh?" Hanabi noticed the two. "Who are they?"

"Those are the girl's brother and his friend, Boruto and Sarada," Neji introduced them. "You two, meet my cousin, Hanabi Hyūga-sama."

Hanabi curtly bowed her head at them, and Sarada, who was wiping her tears, smiled at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hanabi-san." She then elbowed Boruto in his ribs. He yelped in pain at her act and rubbed his now sore ribcage. "Yeah yeah, it's a pleasure and whatnot." He sent a quick glance at Hanabi before his eyes focused on Neji. "How long ago did they take Himawari?"

"Around twenty minutes. Maybe a bit more." Neji told Boruto, who was still rubbing his ribs.

"Did you have to elbow me there, Sarada?" Boruto complained. "I'm pretty sure that rib was cracked before you went and broke it."

"You're injured?" Concern washed over Neji.

The blonde waved him off. "Just some bruises and cuts," he said. "Maybe a cracked rib or two. Nothing that won't heal in a few days."

It was then Sarada's turn to facepalm. "You idiot," she told Boruto, before forcefully removing his hand from the sore area and rolling up with short up to the ribcage. "Here, let me take a look."

"H-hey! Sarada?!" Boruto's cheeks flushed as Sarada started to inspect his torso. "W-what are you doing -ttebasa?!"

Neji froze. That form of speech… he had heard it before.

Hanabi, on the other hand, was enjoying the show so far. Moving from her seat to get a better look at the fit and slim torso of the blonde, a smirk on her face as she poked the blonde in his side. "Hmm… well, I can see why you rushed to lift his shirt, Sarada-san," her smirk getting bigger. "This is certainly an eye-catching body you got there, mister."

Neji groaned internally at his cousin's misdoings and grabbed her shirt's collar, dragging her back to her seat. Sarada's face was as red as a tomato, and she jumped away from Boruto like she was burnt and held her hands closed to her chest. Boruto, on the other hand, seemed disturbed greatly by the comment Hanabi made on his body and also a bit flushed-cheeked from her teasing of Sarada. He rolled down his shirt and made sure not to make eye contact with Sarada, staring off into space in the opposite direction from her. Neji sent a disapproving side-glance at the heiress of his clan's main house, but she just looked at him with a totally innocent look on her face, seeming like she couldn't hurt a fly. He didn't buy it but decided to drop it for now. He'd be sure to tell her his thoughts about her actions later on.

Hanabi got up from her seat, attracting Neji's attention towards her. "Where are you going?"

"To get food," she answered, taking out her wallet. "I'm starving. Anyone want anything?"

"I'll come with you," a much more calmed down Sarada offered. "I'll get you something as well."

Boruto followed them with his gaze until they disappeared out of sight. He then glanced at the clock that hung above the reception desk and sighed. He kept tapping his fingers against the chair's armrest repeatedly, and Neji imagined he must be worried about his sister.

"I'm sure she's going to be fine," Neji tried to reassure him. "The medics here are highly skilled. They wouldn't let anything bad happen to her."

Boruto smiled at him, and his tense shoulder seems to relax slowly as he expelled air from his lungs. "Yeah," he said, sticking his hands in his pocket. "I know she will."

"It's getting pretty late. Did you tell your parents where are you already?" Neji asked him.

Boruto froze, fists clenching and his jaw tightened. "Our parents… they died." He admitted sadly, looking at the ground.

Neji wanted to slap himself for his question. True, he wouldn't have known before he asked, but it still seemed like a sensitive subject and he felt like a jerk for asking. He didn't mean to bring up painful memories. He was just worried about the siblings' well-being since one was in the hospital and both not looking like they were locals from the village. How were they staying alive in the village? Were they all at an inn, or did they have an apartment? How long had they been in the village? Deciding this question is not as invasive as his previous one, he tried asking it.

"How long have the three of you been in the village?" Neji asked the blonde.

Boruto took a swift glance at the clock before replying, "About 5 hours." He laughed at Neji's surprised face. "We arrived with some merchants. While we stopped to eat, Himawari woke up from her… nap and probably didn't recognize where she was so she ran away. We've been looking for her for a few hours when one of my shadow clones picked up the sunflower that fell from her hair and saw you heading to the hospital with her. So Sarada and I rushed over here as soon as we found out."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "You created a shadow clone?" Could this guy be any more like Naruto?

"Hm? Yeah," Boruto seemed momentarily confused at Neji's curiosity before widening his eyes. "M-my dad picked up a few Ninjutsu here and there. He taught me some when I was young." He rambled quickly, explaining himself nervously, though Neji couldn't understand why he was. It was quite common for people living close to a ninja village to learn a few jutsus from shinobi. They needed it mostly to protect themselves and their businesses.

"We're back!" Hanabi's voice suddenly came from beside him. She and Sarada were each holding two sandwiches in one of their hands and a cup of coffee on the other. Sarada went and sat down next to Boruto, handing him a sandwich and opening the wraps of her own. Hanabi plopped down next to Neji and threw his sandwich at his lap before loudly seeping from her cup. Neji just rolled his eyes at her antics before biting into his sandwich. He watched as Boruto unwrapped his as well and took a large bite out of it. Sarada took smaller bites than him but still seemed like she was enjoying herself. She started sipping from her beverage when a familiar female voice from their side spoke.

"Excuse me."

All heads snapped towards the source of the voice, seeing a certain pink-haired girl standing in front of them.

Neji nodded at her. "Sakura."

Sarada spit in mid-drink.

Boruto burst into laughter at the sight of his friend choking on her drink. The first genuine smile on his face since Neji have met him. Although he was happy to see the young man relax more, he couldn't help but notice…

_He really does look like Naruto when he laughs like that._

Sakura seemed like she didn't know how to take the two's extreme reaction to her arrival. The blonde one looked almost identical to her blonde knucklehead of a teammate, with his blue eye and blonde spiky hair, but a few other features of his face distinguished him from the Uzumaki she knew, especially the large scar that stretched over his right eye. Remembering suddenly why she came here in the first place, but as she didn't know them, she decided to ignore the two's sudden outburst and turned to Neji, whom she came to deliver the news to. "I have Hima's results," she informed the Hyūga. "But before I tell you them, did any of the family members show up?"

"I'm her family member." The relaxed blonde's expression and demeanor changing into a serious one in the drop of a hat as he got up with the speed of lightning. "Is she alright?" He proceeded to question the medic.

"Well, she suffered from a lot of bruising and cuts. And two of her ribs were cracked," Sakura read from the chart in her hands. The blonde's expression became grim, and his fists tightened. "But!" Sakura continued, in a much cheerier tone, "we were able to heal all of it. I would recommend keeping her here for another night for observation and rest, but other than that, she's completely fine!"

The blonde sighed a sigh of relief and smiled back at her. "Thank you, Sakura-san."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "How did you know that was my name?"

The blonde seemed surprised as well. "I, uh, well…" His lone eye darted all over the place nervously. "I… saw it on your name tag…?" His answer came out hesitantly, almost unheard.

Sakura relaxed as she took a glance at her lab coat front, where her name was written on a silver name tag. "Oh, right." She rubbed her head. "Sorry, I guess the double shift makes me kinda lose it. I'm still kinda new to this whole hospital business."

He waved her off. "It's fine." He smiled kindheartedly at her. "I think that anyone who doesn't sleep for a while becomes kinda… stressed." He sent a meaningful look at his friend, who rolled her eyes. "I said I was sorry!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry doesn't fix the damage you did to my arm! I had to stay at home for a week!" He told her, his expression changing into something more… teasing.

Sarada puffed her cheek. "That was three years ago. Grow up, Boruto."

Boruto laughed at her comment. "Right, right. Sorry."

Sakura and Neji watched the exchange quietly, noticing how close the two seemed to be. Sarada seemed to have managed to change Boruto serious and grim demeanor to a teasing one in a heartbeat, and their little banter seemed like a normal occurrence between them.

_Must be nice,_ he mused.

"Oh, right," Sakura interrupted them. "Since she's stable right now, you can go see her if you'd like."

He and Sarada moved from the chairs toward Sakura, who was about to guide them to her patient's room. Boruto looked behind him at the still seated Neji and Hanabi. "Aren't you guys coming too?" He asked them.

Neji blinked. "Can we?"

Boruto smiled at him. "Sure, I'm sure Himawari would like to meet you two."

Having nothing to lose, Neji and Hanabi rose from their chairs and followed Sakura together with Boruto and Sarada down the hall to Himawari's room.

The walk to the room was quiet yet packed with nervous energy. To each of their own thoughts, they had all wondered how the lavender-haired girl was doing. Even though Sakura said she was fine now, she still had to stay another night in the hospital for observation. As they made turns and wandered through the hospital, none of them paying attention to their surroundings, the sense of nervousness had amplified and was washing over them like waves.

They finally reached a corridor with a few closed doors in it. Each door led to a different patient's room. Sakura walked to the last door in the hallway, a door numbered 2610 and placed her hand on the handle.

"Oh!" She suddenly turned to the group behind her. "I forgot to tell you guys, but she's already awake!"

* * *

**Author's note: **I've been producing chapters like a machine for over a week. Yesterday was a pretty exciting event for me since I posted the first chapter of this fic. I know, it's a bit confusing. I just write really fast, and it truly is amazing how a few all-nighters help with writing chapters.

I got only positive feedback on the first chapter and I was so happy it motivated me to write this chapter only 13 hours afterward. I might collapse soon, but I don't care. I hope you enjoyed this chapter though.

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to review so I'll know all of your thoughts. (Reads the line again and realizes it sounds creepy. Oh well.)

**Beta Reader: **Bizu Campeche, who edits faster than I produce chapters.


	6. Unexpected Connection 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I am sleep deprived. Save me.**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 6: Unexpected Connection 2**

* * *

The moment the door took to open was probably one of the longest moments Boruto has ever experienced.

Sakura went inside the room, guiding the others to follow suit. She made her way to the hospital bed situated next to a window with a view of a lit-up Konoha against a darkened on the bed, was Himawari, fully awake and in a hospital gown. She was looking out of the window when they came in and didn't turn her head when the door closed behind them. It seemed that she was captivated by the view of the illuminated village.

Sakura approached her bedside and spoke up. "Hi, Hima," she said gently. "There are some people who wanted to see you."

Himawari turned her head to look at Sakura, only to immediately dart her eyes to Boruto when she noticed him. "Onii-chan!" She cried out, surprised. Boruto felt all of today's drowsiness and fatigue wash away when he saw his sister's bright face. He rushed over to her and wrapped her up in a hug that would put a mama bear to shame. "Onii-chan," Himawari's voice came out choked. "You're squishing me to death!"

Startled, Boruto let her go and his gaze fell over her body instead, examining it for any bruise or injury. He saw nothing and thanked the heavens that the medics in the village were some of the best in all of the five nations. She seemed healthy and chipper, and that alone was enough for him.

Himawari allowed her glance to slide past Boruto over to the people behind him. Sarada was standing there, looking relieved at Himawari's recovery. Next to her both Neji and Hanabi stood, and Boruto realized that Himawari probably didn't recognize them.

He decided to hint about their whereabouts indirectly and subtly. "Himawari," he gestured at the two Hyūgas**,** "These are Neji and Hanabi Hyūga. They were the ones who found you."

Himawari's eyes widened with the realization and she shot him a question-filled look. He just smiled inconspicuously at her and tried to send her a, "act casual" message with his eye to the best of his ability. She can't freak out over how they were standing in a room with not only Sarada's young mom, but also their younger-than-them aunt, and dead uncle. She had to keep calm and play along.

So she did just that.

She smiled at the two. "It's a pleasure to meet you both," she said, and Boruto moved aside so she could have direct eye contact with them. "Thank you for getting me to the hospital. When I woke up back then, I was really confused, so I ran away. I'm lucky you found me."

Neji nodded, a smile slowly forming on his face. "It's no problem," he paused for a moment before adding, "we're both just glad you're okay." Hanabi nodded in agreement.

"Alrighty then!" Sakura had cut through the somewhat-awkward moment that had begun to form. "Hima, everything looks fine. Just get plenty of rest and you'll be as good as new in no time." With that, she closed her clipboard and made her way to the door. "I'm gonna leave all of you to catch up. Call me if you need anything." Sarada looked as if she wanted to say something but ultimately decided against it. She closed her mouth as she watched the younger version of her mother leave the room and closing the door behind her. Instead, she went up to Himawari's bedside and held the girl's hand in her own. "Please," she asked of her. "Please, never worry us like that again."

Himawari smiled sheepishly and nodded. "I promise. I'm sorry I worried you so much."

Boruto turned to Neji and Hanabi. "Why are you standing so far away?" He motioned for them to come closer. They did as he said and walked up to him, Sarada and Himawari. Himawari looked at the two with what seemed to be curiosity and excitement. Her blue eyes smiling and her face lighting up as she examined the face of her late uncle. It was almost like she was drinking his appearance, committing it to memory.

"Thank you again for your help," Himawari bowed her head to them both in an act of gratitude.

"It was nothing really," Neji tried to wave her off. "We were just in the right place at the right time. I'm sure anybody else would have reacted the same as we did if they had found you first."

"You know, Himawari," Hanabi suddenly said, after examining the girl's face for a long moment. "You look a lot like my elder sister."

Boruto sucked in a breath and he felt like he had been placed in a deer-in-the-headlights situation and he was not comfortable with it at all. Himawari tried to laugh and waved off her young aunt's words. "Nah, you're imagining stuff, Auntie!"

And with those five simple words, Himawari has destroyed the mystery and solved the crime, lighting up a light bulb above Neji and Hanabi's heads and might risk self-destruction for both herself and Boruto.

"A-Auntie?!" Hanabi shouted in surprise as she stared at the lavender-haired girl in front of her like she was a lunatic. "What do you mean, 'Auntie'?!"

Neji came out of his temporary frozen state at Hanabi's and stared down a very uncomfortable Boruto, waiting for answers from him as well.

Surprisingly, it was Sarada who spoke up.

She coughed and cleared her throat. "Um, well," she sighed, before directing the two Hyūgas with a serious look. "What we're about to tell you, cannot leave this room. At all. Otherwise, we might risk ourselves not existing."

"What do you mean, 'risk yourselves not existing'?" Neji looked at her with suspicion. "Who are you, exactly?"

Sarada took a deep breath and pushed her fallen glasses up her nose. "What I'm about to tell you is going to sound crazy, far-fetched, and is probably more dangerous than it sounds. Are you ready for it?" She asked the two. Boruto's shoulders tensed slightly and he found himself grabbing onto his sister's hand tightly, her squeezing it back.

"We're ready," Hanabi said. "Tell us!"

"The truth is, Himawari, Boruto and I, we don't belong here," Sarada said, glancing at the two siblings. "We don't belong to this time."

"You... don't belong to this time?" Neji raised an eyebrow questionably. His pupil-less gaze drilling her down.

"We're from… the future." Sarada said.

* * *

"The...future," Neji repeated after her. "You're from the future." His dry throat made it difficult to swallow.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true," Sarada said, looking at him and Hanabi worriedly.

"Look, if you are from the future, and I'm not saying I do, or do not, believe you, we're going to need some proof," Hanabi told her, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Alright," this time Boruto spoke. "I'll give you some proof." He pointed to Himawari and then himself. "Our names are Boruto and Himawari Uzumaki. We're the children of Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyūga, also known as your sister and cousin." Ignoring their widening eyes, he continued. "Sarada's last name is Uchiha. She's the daughter of Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. And technically is the last remaining Uchiha." He glanced at their gaping faces. "Enough proof for you?"

Neji was the first one to regain his composure. "You don't actually think we're just going to believe your claims just like that, right?" He berated his supposed 'nephew'. "And claiming she's an Uchiha is not something you can just say lightly. How can we know you truly are an Uchiha?"

Sarada sighed and removed her red glasses, Her eyes closing momentarily. she reopened them, but this time, instead of they're irises being onyx-colored, they were red, with three spinning black comma signs in them.

"The Sharingan…" Neji whispered the name of the almost extinct dōjutsu.

"Well, if Sarada-chan is doing it…" Himawari spoke up, attracting their attention. "I'm gonna do it as well!" Large veins began to pop out of either side of her face, and her blue irises became clear and white, losing their pupil. It was the Byakugan.

"So you are telling the truth…" Still feeling skeptical, Neji knew even he couldn't not believe them after that display. Sarada's Sharingan and Himawari's Byakugan disappeared respectively, their eyes going back to normal. Sarada placed her glasses back on her face.

"What about you?" Neji decided to ask Boruto. "Do you have the Byakugan as well?"

His question made Boruto laugh out loud. His head thrown backwards and a big smile stretching over his face. "Wouldn't that be something?" He asked the Hyūga, his only eye wrinkling a little with mirth. "Afraid not, though. I do have some other talents." He added mysteriously.

"So you're really the children of Naruto and Hinata-sama?" Neji still had a bit of trouble comprehending the whole situation. He also didn't know how to feel about the fact that his cousin and friend had apparently got married in the future. He obviously knew about his cousin's crush on the blonde knucklehead, but to know something grew out of it was… something he needed to cope with later.

"I knew Nee-sama had it in her!" Hanabi clapped her hands in excitement. If Neji was reading his expression correctly, and he worriedly hoped he didn't, her face was indicating she had probably already started picturing her older sister in different wedding gowns, holding bouquets. "You have to tell me how they got together!"

Boruto seemed to have found her question amusing. "Well, Aunt Hanabi," he snickered. "You could say it was mostly because of you."

Though seemingly not used to being called "Aunt" Hanabi seemed to have decided to go with the flow and instead focused on the 'important' information she was presented with. It was thanks to her that her beloved Nee-sama and Naruto got together! Neji had imagined she was thinking of ways she could push Hinata and Naruto to some semi-awkward situations in the future. His younger cousin was truly a terrifying person, he noted.

"Anyway," Sarada had decided to change the subject. "I'm all for family reunions, but we've got some bigger fish to fry at the moment."

Boruto looked at his friend. "What do you mean?"

"Tsunade-sama." The raven-haired cleared. "We need to tell her about us and ask for her help."

"You think she's even going to believe us?" Boruto seemed skeptical.

"It's worth the shot." Sarada looked outside the window at the dark sky. "And if she doesn't believe us, I'll just keep pestering her until she does." Her reflection on the glass showed her confident smile. "I'm quite good at making people do whatever I want." She pushed her glasses up her nose again and turned around to look at Boruto. "I think that they'll let us stay here with Himawari if we asked." She informed him. "So I'm going to go get your sword and cloak from the bushes."

"Bushes?" Neji sent a questioning look to Boruto.

"Don't ask," Boruto waved him off. "My clones have the weirdest ideas."

"Well, they all are recreations of you, so in a way, it was your idea to hide those clothes in the bushes together with that bandages box," Sarada pointed out. "And afterward you did the same, so I suppose the cycle continues."She smirked at him as she made her way across the room to the door. Boruto pouted and looked almost defensive about his actions.

Sarada exited the room and closed the door behind her, leaving both the Hyūgas and Uzumakis alone together. There was a moment of silence between them before Hanabi decided to break it.

"So… tell us about yourselves!"

* * *

Sarada was walking down the hospital's corridor back to Himawari's room. In her hands were Boruto's katana which was folded up inside his cloak, away from prying eyes.

Taking a turn, she happened to catch a glimpse of what seemed like two blonde pigtails and a tail of a green coat disappearing behind the next turn down the hall opposite from her. Her eyes widened. Could it be?

Curiosity getting the best of her, she ran down the hall after the person she saw. Turning to the corner, she saw her.

Tsunade-sama.

She was walking with her back to Sarada, her blonde hair in pigtails swaying on her back and her trench coat flapping behind her as she walked.

"Tsunade-sama, wait!" Sarada called the Fifth Hokage.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama, wait!"

Tsunade turned around and frowned as a girl she did not recognize was running towards her. The girl didn't seem injured or in pain, meaning that whatever she needed from Tsunade probably wasn't urgent. She didn't have time for this. There were actually sick and injured people in need of her help right now.

"What is it, kid? I'm kinda busy," She urged the raven-haired. "I don't have time for chit-chats."

"Please, hear me out," Sarada begged of her. "My name is Sarada Uchiha, and I'm here with my friends Boruto and Himawari Uzumaki. We're from the future."

Tsunade scoffed. "Yeah, and I don't have a stash of booze in one of my drawers in my office." She turned to leave. "Time travel doesn't exist. And I don't have time for this nonsense."

"Wait!" Sarada grabbed Tsunade's arm. Gritting her teeth, Tsunade turned around again, but this time, she sent a roundhouse kick at the girl's face, annoyed at all those interruptions. Realizing how much of a bad idea it would be to attack a civilian out of the blue, it was too late to stop her leg now. She was about to make contact with the girl's face when the latter bent backwards so low her head almost touched the floor. Tsunade raised her eyebrows in surprise as she watched the girl place both hands on the floor and flip herself upwards, dropping the folded cloth that was in her hands to the ground.

"Tch," Tsunade scoffed. "Beginner's luck."

She swept her leg down from above at Sarada, to make sure she won't bother her again, but the girl caught her leg with her bare hand, pushing it upwards to throw Tsunade's off balance and slipped under it, her fist coming up to Tsunade's face.

"SHANNARO!"

The fist reached mere inches from Tsunade's face before the Hokage caught it by mere instinct. The blonde could practically feel the latent strength stored in the small fist radiating at her, barely containing itself, and struggled to hold it in place because of her surprise at the attack. She glanced at the girl's face, only to have her breath hitch at the sight of two spinning red eyes who were looking back at her.

"Sharingan…" Tsunade whispered. When the girl said she was an Uchiha, for a short, crazy moment, she had wondered if the girl was speaking the truth, though she immediately dismissed the thought. But now, the same girl was looking straight at her with the Kekkei Genkai of an almost extinct clan, so unless when Itachi Uchiha was murdering his clan he accidentally missed someone (highly unlikely), that girl was really... "Who exactly are you?" She hissed to the girl.

The mysterious girl moved her fist from the Hokage's face and pushed her glasses up her face, her face twisting in frustration. "This isn't what we should be doing!" She yelled at the surprised Hokage. The girl seemed to have a temper, and it vaguely reminded Tsunade of her pink-haired student. The power from the girl's fist as well, it wasn't an ordinary attack. It was a chakra-enhanced fist, exactly like the one Tsunade uses herself. "I just wanted you to listen to me, dammit!" Tears were starting to form on the corners of the girl's still red eyes.

Tsunade looked at the crying girl in front of her, feeling confusion slowly creeping up on her. Sure, she was Fifth Hokage for almost three years now. Yet, she was still, on some level, adjusting to her job. On the nights she finished her work early she would sneak out to her favorite casinos and bars and sink back to her old lifestyle. Sure, she was a leader, but she was also a very lonely woman. She went to places that were packed with people who were just like her, tormented and in need of distractions, to not feel like she was drowning in her sorrow.

When she left the village the first time, she considered it her early retirement. As much as she refused to admit it, she wasn't getting any younger. And the life of a drunk gambler, although not as appealing to others, sounded just perfect for her. That is until a blonde kid came into her life and changed her world as she knew it. Because of Naruto, Tsunade was now the respected leader of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

She was responsible for the lives of all people in the village; shinobi, and civilians. The first thing she did when she rose to power was revamping the hospital. She had Shizune and other trusted medics teach the whole hospital stuff how to heal properly from scratch, she changed the budgets, built new wings, hired more people and moved mountains to make sure the hospital is up and running with the most efficiency. Not that moving mountains was a hard feat for her to accomplish. Even after she was done with the hospital, she still regularly visited it once every few days to make sure everything was going smoothly and offer her help if there was a particularly difficult task to perform. But even so, the situation she was just presented with… it didn't seem like something anything could prepare her for, and she half-heartedly wondered if something like that would've happened to her had she stayed a drunken traveling gambler.

As luck would have it, she was making her rounds at the hospital when she heard from Sakura about a foreign patient that arrived at the hospital and meant to check up on her later on, if she had time, before going back to the office. She was expecting a normal quiet night at the hospital, but she should have remembered that it was never going to be with her terrible luck.

And as expected, a girl came to her with the crazy story that she and her friends were from the future and ruined every chance of Tsunade's plan to hit the local pub later that evening.

She hadn't meant to attack the girl. She knew better than that, but when the raven-haired wouldn't shut up and quit bothering her, disrupting her rounds and delaying her in getting to her precious sake, Tsunade's temper got the best of her and she attacked her purely out of control loss. She didn't expect the girl to bend out of her reach with the flexibility of a cat and then attack her back with just as much force as she placed into her kick, let alone hear her student's familiar battle cry coming from this strange girl, or the Sharingan in the girl's eyes.

With just one move, gone were Tsunade's plans quiet night, and were instead replaced with what could be a huge headache for her.

The girl seemed to have gotten over her small emotional outburst and wiped her eyes, straightening her back and looking Tsunade in the eyes with her now onyx-colored ones instead of the Sharingan. She cleared her throat and spoke up. "I'm the daughter of Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, Sarada Uchiha," the girl said in a serious tone. "I'm here with the children of Naruto Uzumaki. We came here from a future where this village is nothing but a wasteland anymore, and we need your help." She said, her eyes begging that Tsunade would hear her out.

Tsunade clenched her jaw. Even though all the evidence pointed towards the possibility of Sarada speaking the truth, and shinobi were trained to believe in the impossible, it was still a very hard thing to swallow. This girl was saying she was the daughter of Tsunade's apprentice and a rogue ninja who was a direct descendant of an almost-extinct clan. And that she was here with not one, but two children of Naruto Uzumaki himself, who was dumber than a brick when it came to romance, so the thought of him having kids was a terrifying and an impossible one for Tsunade to entirely fathom. And besides, the girl having the Sharingan might not even mean anything. It's not unheard of for shinobi to steal the eyes of clan members with formidable dōjutsu, she could have done the same, or someone could have implemented them in her eyes when she was younger.

She sighed. "Look, kid," she looked at the girl and massaged her already aching temple. "even if you are telling the truth, and I'm not saying I believe you, you know that even with the Sharingan, I can't trust just your words, right?" She asked the bespectacled girl. "You could have taken the Sharingan from the body of an Uchiha. Or work with Orochimaru, who could have given you those," she added as an afterthought. Sarada nodded to show she understands Tsunade's suspicion, though she seemed quite perplexed at Tsunade's comment about Orochimaru's involvement in her life as if she didn't know how to feel about that.

"How about we take a DNA test, then?" Sarada suggested after thinking for a second with her hand holding her chin and the other supporting her elbow. "Wouldn't that prove if I'm lying or not?"

"Oh?"Tsunade was intrigued. A blood test would be able to prove if the girl was truly an Uchiha or not, and better yet, if she truly was Sasuke Uchiha's daughter. "That's a good idea. I think I have a blood sample of Sasuke Uchiha from before he left the village." She changed her direction and started heading in the way Sarada came from, the latter tagging along behind her. "You said you were here with Naruto's kids, right?" She shot the girl a look over her shoulder. She'd have to take their blood samples as well.

"Yeah," Sarada confirmed. "Boruto and Himawari. They're in room 2610."

"They're here?" Tsunade was confused. "Why?"

"Oh, Himawari fainted and was injured, so Hanabi-san and Neji-san brought her here," Sarada explained.

"Neji and Hanabi Hyūga?" Tsunade questioned her, curious. "They know about you as well?"

Sarada rubbed the back of her neck embarrassedly. "Well, yeah," she admitted. "I did kinda...tell them."

"Dear lord, kid," Tsunade shot the girl a look. "You suck at keeping secrets."

Sarada just laughed sheepishly.

"You are keeping this a secret, right?" She asked the supposed 'Uchiha' a suspicious glance.

Sarada nodded. "Yes," she confirmed. "We need to make sure this doesn't get out, or we might do something that could cause us not to be born in the first place."

"And the way to do that is to tell three people right off the bat?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow skeptically.

Sarada shifted uncomfortably, rubbing her arm. "Yeah, I might have not thought it through when I told them about us…"

"You think?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. Yep, this girl was definitely giving her young Sakura vibes.

Speaking of which…

"Sakura!" Tsunade called the pink-haired girl who was just exiting a room down the hall from them. Next to her, Sarada tensed at the sight of her supposed 'young mother'.

Sakura turned to them and tilted her head. "What is it, Lady Tsunade?" She asked her Master.

"The foreigner in room 2610," Tsunade said. "You have her blood sample, correct?"

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. "I do… why?"

"I'm going to need it," Tsunade brought her hand in front of Sakura, waiting. "I'll be taking over that particular patient from now on."

"O..kay," Sakura placed the small tube of blood in Tsunade's palm. "Why though?"

Tsunade waved her off. "It doesn't matter," she continued to walk past Sakura, in the direction of room 2610. She turned to see Sarada and Sakura staring at each other. "Sarada," she called the raven-haired. "Are you coming or what?"

Sarada broke out of her trance. "Right!" She ran up to catch with Tsunade as she began to walk again.

Sakura stared at the two as they made their way down the hall, away from her.

"What was that about…?" She wondered, her gaze sliding from her mentor to the girl beside her. "And who is she?"

A sudden head-splitting pain flashed behind her eyes, and she dropped her clipboard and grabbed her head from both sides, falling to her knees, panting. A blurry image of a pair of arms holding a baby with black hair wrapped in a bundle of blankets and slumbering flashed in her mind but was gone before she could even start to comprehend what she saw.

"What was that?" She asked the empty hall in confusion, panting.

* * *

**Author's note: **So I had a different AN planned for this… about a month ago. I am SO SORRY about the sudden hiatus I went on.

My beta suddenly went MIA, and I didn't want to upload a chapter that wasn't beta-ed because I want you guys to only have the best quality. Unfortunately, my beta is still out, so this chapter, while I did my best to scan it for any mistakes and fix the grammar, might still seem a bit off. I apologize, but this is the best I could do. In other news… my birthday is tomorrow! It's on the 25th, and I'm really excited about it. It's on Xmas, so that's fun. I'm going out to celebrate, and I hardly go out, so that's going to be interesting.

Thank you for reading and don't forget to review, I enjoy reading your thoughts! See you next week!

**Beta Reader: **AgresteBug, as usual, working in record time.


	7. Unecpected Connection 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own this story's information sheet, but every good hacker could own it too if he wanted.**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 7: Unexpected Connection 3**

* * *

The first thing Neji learned about Himawari is that she had the perfect blend of her parents' personalities.

Both her warm and welcoming demeanor from Hinata and her cheerful and happy-go-lucky side from Naruto showed whenever she spoke. She was less of a jokester than her brother and was definitely the calmer one between the two of them, but she'd managed to surprise both him and Hanabi with her witty commentary and humor.

She and Neji had quickly delved into a long conversation about clan techniques and the Byakugan's usage on missions, and, to his surprise, Neji found the girl's insight quite interesting. Her vast knowledge of the clan was astonishing.

She'd explained to him that in her free time, she used to read a lot about the clan in her grandfather's private library since she hadn't been attending the Academy, even when she was old enough to. He'd found that odd, but Himawari had just shrugged and told him that she'd never really wanted to learn how to hurt others and that all of her lessons with her grandfather were more for self-defense. Privately, Neji wondered how she'd ended up being a kunoichi if she didn't like hurting other people, but he decided not to pressure her about it since she didn't seem very comfortable discussing the subject. They instead changed the topic to a much more pleasant one, literature and gardening, which they both found great joy in.

Boruto and Hanabi, on the other hand, were having a much more animated discussion about… well, Neji couldn't really decipher what were they talking about, as they talked much too quickly, too fast for him to even try and understand what they were saying. They seemed content with their conversation, though, so he paid it no mind.

"By the way," he said, turning to Himawari. "I've been meaning to ask, but what are Hanabi and I like in your time?"

Both Himawari and Boruto froze upon hearing the question and sent each other an uneasy looks. It seemed Neji's curiosity about his future had made them uncomfortable. Maybe they didn't want to talk about the future since all they knew is destroyed? Could that be it?

"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to rub salt in your wounds. I was merely curious. You don't have to answer; I understand."

The tension eased out of their frames, and Neji could almost see them sigh in relief. To his surprise, Himawari grabbed his hand in her palm and squeezed it tightly. She was smiling, but if he looked closer, he could see a hidden sadness lurking in the depths of her eyes, as though she were recalling a bad memory. So instead of pushing the question, he squeezed her hand and smiled at her, reminding her that she wasn't alone.

Boruto placed a hand over his scarred eye, his finger running over the thin line that stretched across his face, and his other eye looked far away, lost in memories.

"Oh yeah," Hanabi started, noticing the blonde's actions. "I wanted to ask, but how did you get this scar?"

Neji wanted to cover her mouth with his hand, but the damage was already done. It was one of the disadvantages of Hanabi not being a shinobi. For them, it was an unspoken rule not to ask about scars or battle wounds—it was well known that scars told the stories of experiences on the battlefield and that the more ferocious the scar, the more ferocious that battle likely was. And, sometimes, the greater the pain, the greater the loss. Asking a shinobi about their scars was like intentionally digging up healing wounds and sometimes even making it worse.

Neji remembered that once, when he was in the local baths with Gai and Lee, sometime after they became a team, they'd walked out of the dressing room and noticed a large scar that stretched from their sensei's right shoulder blade to the left of the small of his back. The scar looked deep, but also long-healed, and Lee, being the curious person he is, had decided to ask Gai about it _"My scar?" Gai looked surprised to hear them ask about it. "Oh, right. Yeah, I got it a long time ago in a battle against enemy shinobi."_

_Lee seemed excited about this information. "As expected from Gai-sensei! Tell me, what happened during the battle? Was it a glorious win for you? Did you defeat them all unharmed?" He bombarded the Green Beast in questions. Neji noticed the flash of uneasiness in Gai's eyes but just shrugged it off as the uncomfortableness that comes with a naked Lee fawning over you._

_"We did defeat them," Gai said, though his usual cheery demeanor had dissolved into a much more grim face. "But it was not a glorious day. We didn't make it back unscathed, and not unharmed." He breathed in deeply as he looked at Neji and Lee with sadness in his eyes. "We lost two men that day on the battlefield."_

_Neji and Lee both tensed at the mention of the deaths. Now, Neji finally understood why Gai seemed uneasy when the subject came up. Nobody liked to remember the unchangeable._

_"There is nothing less youthful than to look at you comrade's loved one's faces and tell them you couldn't protect their dear ones." Gai clenched his fist in anger. "That scar on my back? It serves to me as a reminder that I never want to tell another family that I couldn't save their son."_

_After that, silence reigned until they left the bath. From that day on, both Lee and Neji had learned that shinobi don't ask about scars or wounds of others since that would mean forcing then to relive the reason why their hearts and bodies are not whole anymore _So for Hanabi to ask such a question of Boruto…

"Oh, this?" Neji's heart grimaced at the pained and sad expression creeping up his nephew's face. Boruto placed his whole hand over the right side of his face, his other eye closed as if he was sinking in thoughts. "This was done to me a long time ago by someone," he explained. "They were worried that my power would interfere with their fate, so they tried to take it away from me."

Neji's teeth clenched and he made himself take deep breaths to calm down the seething rage burning in his stomach. Although he had only met them a few hours ago, both Boruto and Himawari were his family, future or past. They were his blood, his cousin's children. His niece and nephew, and someone had dared to inflict such an injury on one of them out of cowardice. That, he absolutely could not forgive, either as a Hyūga or a man.

He was broken out of his thoughts as a hand squeezed his own. Looking up, he saw Himawari was still holding his hand and smiling at him, calm. She was trying to tell him to calm down, and so he did. Breathing slowly through his nose and releasing the air through his mouth. He repeated that action.

Breath.

Release.

Breath.

Release.

He was calm again. He tightened his hold on Himawari's hand and sent her a reassuring look. _I'm fine now,_ he said wordlessly. _Don't worry about me._

Hanabi, in the meanwhile, was apologizing profusely to Boruto about her inappropriate question and he was sheepishly waving her off, explaining that her curiosity hadn't offended him in any way. Neji guessed this wasn't the first time people have asked him of his scar and wounded eye. Though he knew better than to ask, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of power Boruto had that made his enemy try to gouge out his eye to make sure he won't use it.

Turning away from Hanabi's side, Boruto looked at the door in confusion. "That's odd," he murmured. "Sarada should have been back by now. Wonder what's keeping her."

Just as he finished saying those words, loud, hurried footsteps were heard right outside the door and it was opened with a slam, making all four of them jump.

At the door stood a tall blonde-haired woman with a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead. She blinked at them, seemingly surprised at the sight of Boruto and Himawari.

"Well, shit," she mumbled. "He looks more like one of Naruto's shadow clones than an individual person. Take away the scar and they're practically twins."

"Granny Tsunade…?" Boruto said in disbelief. Himawari also stared at the Hokage standing in the doorway and seem to be having a problem comprehending the situation. Sarada appeared behind the shocked Hokage. "Tsunade-sama…" she said, panting. "Did you really have to run?"

Tsunade ignored her and stepped further into the room, her eyes still fixated on the Uzumaki siblings. She walked up to Boruto, and he gulped. Neji assumed that if Boruto was anything like Naruto, then he too would probably fear Tsunade's presence. Tsunade leaned closer to Boruto and inspected his face with an unreadable expression, her eyes boring into his. Suddenly, she pulled herself up and a large syringe appeared in her hand, surprising Boruto and making him jump back.

"Welp, I almost believe you now," she told Sarada. "All that's left is to take a blood sample from him and I'll be on my way."

Boruto carefully raised his hands. "Hold up for a second, blood sample? And what's up with this syringe's size?!" He eyed the tool nervously.

Tsunade had already taken the liberty of pulling up his sleeve (the one that was not torn) and purifying the skin underneath it with alcohol. "Woah, Woah, Woah! What the hell are you doing Granny?!" Boruto tried to pull his arm away from her, his face losing color by the second.

"Pshh, don't tell me you're afraid of a little blood sample? It's just a small needle," Tsunade gave him an unimpressed look. "So stop getting your panties in a bunch and let me stab you already." A scary, slightly sadistic smile crept on her face. Predictably, this did not reassure Boruto in the slightest.

"Eh? Did you just say stab?!" Boruto was now trying harder to flee from the Hokage's grasp, though her iron grip did not even allow him to budge an inch. She kept him glued in place, and his face was white as a sheet.

"Tch. You even act like Naruto." Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Stop being a pansy and take the shot like a man."

Boruto opened his mouth like he wanted to yell at her but closed it almost immediately, holding his tongue. It seemed shots were definitely something he didn't like, Neji noted. Boruto opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but closed it again. Inwardly, Neji agreed with his decision. Yelling at Tsunade might not be the smartest move while she was holding such a huge needle in her hands.

Hanabi giggled at him. "Geez, nephew, you're such a baby."

"Shut up!" Boruto's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. Neji exhaled from his mouth, amused. Hanabi may be Boruto's aunt, but to be called both a 'nephew' and a 'baby' by an eleven-year-old is a low no man wanted to stoop to. He had to maintain some of his dignity.

"Here." Hanabi gave him her hand. "You can hold my hand while she's taking the shot." Boruto looked at her in surprise. Truth be told, Neji was a bit surprised as well. His cousin might be brash at times, but emotional displays of this caliber were pretty rare, especially considering they were frowned upon in the Hyūga clan. Showing compassion like this was more in line with what Hinata tended to do.

"What's the hold-up?" Tsunade was losing her patience. "Take her hand already and let me take your blood already!"

"You know when you say it like that…" Boruto muttered, but he took his young aunt's hand nonetheless. Hanabi smiled at him and nodded to Tsunade. Tsunade drew closer to his arm, and he braced himself for the sting.

"Hey, Boruto," Hanabi called him. He turned to her, only to be slapped in the face.

"Ow!" Boruto touched his cheek with his hand. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Done!" Tsunade chimed, placing a bandaid on where she inserted the syringe.

"Already?" Boruto looked surprised. "But I didn't even feel it,"

Hanabi smiled smugly. "Why do you think I slapped you in the first place?"

"You did it so I won't feel the needle?" Boruto said, gaze warming...

"And because it seemed like fun," Hanabi said.

...the warm gaze faded as quickly as it came.

"Jerk," he mumbled, sulking.

"Baby," she taunted him.

Neji and Himawari shared a look, and Sarada facepalmed.

"I should have the test results by tomorrow," Tsunade informed them. "Usually it takes around two days, but I think I can persuade them to hurry it up a bit." She smiled sadistically, and Neji almost shuddered in sympathy for the poor lab workers. Oh, those poor, poor souls.

She turned to leave. "I'll have someone bring two folding beds for you two to sleep on," she informed Boruto and Sarada. "I'm guessing you wouldn't want to be far from your sister right now." She smiled at them before turning back and leaving.

Boruto scratched his head. "Man, she's so scary that sometimes it's easy to forget she's just a grandma at heart."

Sarada looked horrified. "Please, never tell her that to her face," she begged.

"Are you kidding? I like living, thank you very much," Boruto huffed.

Himawari and Hanabi laughed at his remark, and Neji just shook his head in exhaustion.

It was getting pretty late, the sky fading to dusky black and night lights illuminating the village around them. Boruto would glance over at Himawari every time she yawned, ignoring his own exhaustion. Today had been an emotional rollercoaster for the both of them, and it seemed to have tired them out both mentally and physically. Sarada seemed to be in the same boat, as she was leaning against the wall as though it was the only thing keeping her upright.

Neji tried to give her his chair, but she protested, only to nearly fall to the floor in exhaustion. Not too soon afterward, a few nurses came in with two folding beds for Boruto and Sarada to sleep on, and it was time for Neji and Hanabi to bid their farewells.

"I'll see you two tomorrow, Boruto, Hima!" Hanabi waved the two siblings goodbye from the door before going out.

"Bye-bye!" Himawari waved back.

"I'll come tomorrow as well," Neji told them. "Goodnight, Boruto, Himawari."

"Night, Neji," Boruto told him from his place near the window.

"Goodnight, Neji-niisan!" Himawari beamed. Neji blinked at that, before smiling and nodding at them, exiting the room and trailing behind his cousin through the hospital corridors.

He certainly hadn't expected to meet two time travelers that morning—ones who happened to be his nephew and niece no less—and he was still a bit overwhelmed. But they were both kind and resembled both their parents so much. He couldn't help feeling connected to them. He didn't need a DNA test to determine Himawari was Hinata's daughter, and he definitely didn't need to check if Boruto was Naruto's child. And Himawari called him niisan earlier. She already felt comfortable enough with him to consider him family in her eyes. If she could do that, then there's no way he can't do the same for her, and treat her like his niece. She was his niece, after all.

"Neji-niisan!" Hanabi called from her place ahead of him. "You coming?"

"Right," he hurried his steps toward her. "Let's go."

* * *

After Neji and Hanabi left, the three teens got ready for sleep. Removing his newly found hoodie, Boruto placed it on the middle bed. His cape and Katana brought to him by Sarada from outside were placed on one of the visitor chairs, his cape wrapped around the sword to make sure no one noticed it. Stretching, he noticed Himawari was yawning and Sarada looked ready to nod off. Smiling slightly, he sat on his bed and took off his shoes. "I don't know about you two, but I'm tired," he said, placing his shoes next to the foot of the bed. "I'm going to sleep."

Sarada stretched. "Welp, I guess we should go to sleep as well." She plopped down on the bed furthest from the window, kicking her shoes off and snuggling into the covers. She flicked the light switch off. "Night, you guys."

"Mhm, night!" Himawari moved around a bit in her bed to make herself more comfortable.

"Goodnight, you two," Boruto said quietly as he laid down on the bed between them.

It was a long day for him, and with the realization that he's in the past, fighting bandits, running around the old Konoha looking for his sister, and meeting his dead uncle, he felt completely drained. Closing his eye, he sank slowly into a deep dreamless slumber.

* * *

Tsunade looked over the test results with what looked like a defeated face. She'd hoped that her hunch was wrong, and the kids were just lying or something, but no, as usual, her luck sucked.

_Results of the DNA test:_

_For: Tsunade, Fifth Hokage_

_Existing blood samples:_

_Naruto Uzumaki_

_Sasuke Uchiha_

_Sakura Haruno_

_Hinata Hyūga_

_Taken blood samples:_

_Unknown 1_

_Unknown 2_

_Unknown 3_

_Match:_

_100%_

_Report:_

_The Unknown 1 blood samples have a perfect match with the DNA of Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Technically speaking, it has a 50% compatibility with both samples._

_The Unknown 2 and 3 blood samples have a perfect match with the DNA of Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyūga. They also have a 50% compatibility with both samples._

"So, the kid was telling the truth…" Tsunade stared at the report. She honestly was more shocked at the revelation that Naruto ever managed to get married and have kids than about the kids themselves. He wasn't exactly a ladies man, and she often believed he'd end up single for the rest of his life with how clueless he was when it came to women. But to think somewhere along the way he actually realized what he's doing and got a girl, a Hyūga girl nonetheless, and settled down with her! It almost made Tsunade believe that miracles might exist.

And Sakura… so Sasuke had eventually returned to village? Tsunade felt happy for her student. She knew how much the girl loved him, so if it all worked up, in the end, she was happy for her. And it seems that there are more Uchiha in the future. That was good too.

Now, to handle the situation…

She got up from her chair and made her way to the door. It was time to talk to them.

* * *

"-like I said, sweets will not make you feel better, -ttebasa!" Boruto's angered voice could be heard from inside the room as Tsunade approached the door.

"Will too!" Himawari protested.

"Will not!" Boruto's voice got stronger.

Opening the door, Tsunade walked in onto the scene of Boruto trying to pry away a chocolate bar from Himawari's hands, as she hung on to it for dear life, and Sarada watching from the window with an expression that screamed 'why am I here?'

Turning to face her, Boruto released the chocolate bar and stood up straight. "Granny Tsunade…"

"Tch," Tsunade clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I ain't your grandma kid."

"You're old enough to be…" Boruto muttered under his breath, but she heard him anyway.

"Say what?" she asked him menacingly.

"Nothing!" He seemed terrified.

"That's what I thought." She moved closer and checked on Himawari. All scratches and cuts seem to be uninfected, and her injuries were healing steadily and weren't as threatening as before thanks to Sakura's diligent healing. "Hmm… yeah, you're good to go," she told her. "Just ask one of the nurses for the sign-out forms. Fill them out and you can leave."

Sarada got up from her position against the window and made her way to the door. "I'll go get them for you."

Boruto nodded at her, using that temporary distraction to snatch Himawari's chocolate bar away from her. "Hey!" she protested.

"I said you don't need it," Boruto told her. "Deal with it."

"Meanie!" Himawari accused.

"Yeah yeah," Boruto sighed. "I'm still not giving it back."

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Boruto." He turned to look at her. "I wanted to speak to you in private, if possible."

Boruto nodded and glanced at Himawari. "Will you be okay alone until Sarada comes back?" He asked her.

"If I had my chocolate, maybe," Himawari told him with an innocent smile.

Boruto groaned, but handed her the chocolate bar and tossed on a black hoodie. "Let's go, then." They both went outside the room, leaving a very satisfied Himawari with her chocolate.

They walked down the hall of the hospital in silence, and Tsunade felt a bit awkward. Boruto sure didn't make any effort to start a conversation, walking silently next to her with his hands in his pockets.

"How did she even get chocolate?" Tsunade tried to strike up a conversation with him.

"She snuck out in the morning when Sarada and I were sleeping," Boruto said, looking defeated. "She would've gotten it either way. It's too scary to refuse her for too long."

"Scary, how?" Tsunade was curious.

Boruto just shivered and wore an expression of a man who saw the face of death. Tsunade decided it was probably better not to bring up past trauma with this guy.

Glancing up, Tsunade noticed they went out of the hospital and into the courtyard. There were flower beds everywhere and a few benches under some trees for the patients and their visitors to relax on. Making their way to one of the benches, Tsunade propped down on it and threw her arm back behind the backrest. Boruto followed suit, sitting next to her in a lax position. For a few minutes, they just sat quietly and watched the courtyard. A few people were here and there, patients and their visitors going out for a walk, and a few doctors on their breaks dotted the perimeter.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "So, the test results came back," she said, attracting Boruto's attention. "It looks like you weren't lying when you said you were Naruto's brats."

Boruto laughed at that. "Who'd wanna lie about being the old man's kid?"

"So in the future, Naruto's an old man?" She felt bizarre talking about it. "And he calls me grandma, that idiot."

"He still calls you that in my time," Boruto told her. "Or at least, he used to…" He grew quiet all of a sudden, and Tsunade understood. When they'd been on their way to Himawari's room last night, Sarada had briefly told Tsunade what happened in the future, about how the village was attacked and destroyed, and everyone was killed except for the three of them, who'd miraculously survived.

She sighed and patted Boruto's back. He turned to look at her, surprised, and she gave him a small smile. Still surprised, the corner of his mouth raised a little bit.

Tsunade decided to change the topic. "What are you going to do now?"

Boruto leaned back and stared at the sky. "Well, Sarada and I want to stay here, in the village," he glanced at her before going back to look at the sky. "We want a fresh start, but we also know that no matter when or where we are, Konoha will always be our home. That's why, with your permission, we'd like to stay here." He didn't look at her when he made the request, but rather, he seemed distant, like he wasn't there, but somewhere else.

Tsunade also looked up to the sky in thought. "You know, there's this great apartment building near one of my favorite bars. It's spacey and pretty cheap," she told him. "I always thought it would be nice to have a close place I can go to when I'm too drunk to go back to my place."

Boruto looked at her, trying to comprehend what she was telling him.

"I guess that if I were to rent that place for one or two months, I'd have a place like that," Tsunade continued. "The thing is, Shizune doesn't like it when I disappear on my own. So even if I were to rent it, I wouldn't be able to live there. Such a shame." She sent a very surprised Boruto a smirk. "So I guess, that if I were to rent it, and just happened to give the key to someone else, they'll be able to live there for the first two months I paid for and start their lives there." She smiled at him. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

Boruto smiled at her, and although he seemed happy, Tsunade thought there was a hidden sadness in his eye, and the large scar on his other eye helped with increasing the sorrow that seems to have settled behind Boruto's happy gaze. She bit the inside of her cheek. The kid was so young, yet he'd already been through a war and lost many people dear to him. If she could help him regain even some bits of happiness by helping him stay in the village with his sister and friend, so be it.

Getting up, she stretched her arms above her head. "Welp, I'm off," she told him. "The apartment is not going to rent itself."

Boruto raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, isn't that the whole point?" he questioned as he got up as well.

"Tch," Tsunade turned to face him fully and ruffled his blond locks. "So you've got yourself a smart mouth, huh?"

Boruto laughed at the comment and seemed a bit bashful as he scratched the back of his head, though a trace of a smirk was seen on his lips.

"Anyway, I'll have Shizune come and get you to see my new place later today, so don't leave the area." She started to walk away from him. "I'll give her descriptions of you, but I don't want to make it too hard for her."

Boruto nodded and also made his way in the direction of the hospital. "Sure thing. Oh, and Granny?" Tsunade's eye twitched at the uncalled-for nickname, but she turned to him nonetheless. "Thank you, for everything." A sudden wind tugged at his hair, whipping it around his face. He stood with one hand in his pocket, the other waving at her.

The scene burned into her memory. Here was a kid who'd crossed time and space, who'd had his share of troubles, and yet was still smiling at her with gratitude and happiness, burying the sorrow. All she could do was smile back and wave as she turned back and made her way to where the apartment building was.

She was going to get that place for him, even if she has to destroy something for it.

Somewhere else, an innocent landlord felt a sudden chill running down his back.

* * *

"So, Lady Tsunade is buying you an apartment?" Neji raised an eyebrow in question as he allowed Himawari to lean on him for support while they were leaving the hospital.

"Not buying," Boruto corrected, carrying his cloak-covered katana. "She's renting us an apartment. There's a difference."

"I think it's nice of her to do it for us." Himawari smiled as she tried to straighten up while walking. Neji eyed her worriedly, holding her like she was made of glass, and jumping at any signs of discomfort she showed.

"So, how long is she paying for, then?" Hanabi asked Boruto looking at him over her shoulder. She and Sarada were walking a bit ahead of them.

"Hm…" Boruto scrunched up his face. "I think for a month, maybe two."

"That'll give us plenty of time to get jobs and pay for the rent ourselves," Sarada noted as they walked slowly through the streets of Konoha. "I'm hoping to get a high paying one."

"Jobs? What about being a shinobi?" Neji asked her. "You could earn money that way as well."

Boruto chuckled at that. "I don't know, being a shinobi isn't something I want to think about right now." His hand touched his weapon pouch for a second before falling back to his side. "I'd like to adjust to living here for a while before I start thinking about going back to active duty."

"Yeah," Sarada nodded. "Same goes for me. Though I might take on an internship in the hospital at some point as well. Can't neglect my training."

"Oh, you're training to be a medical ninja, Sarada?" Hanabi asked the raven-haired girl.

"Yeah, " Sarada said. "Mama was training me in being a medic for a few years. I think I might ask Lady Tsunade to train me now, since…" she stopped mid-sentence and faded into silence, but everyone understood the implications.

"What about you Himawari?" Boruto commended Neji for changing the subject so swiftly before the silence could grow any more awkward. "What do you plan on doing now?"

Himawari looked deep in thought for a moment. "Well, the first thing I want to do is to furnish our new apartment!" She smiled. "Afterwards I'll… ah! I'll make a vase!" She nodded decisively as if it was only logical for her to craft a vase after furnishing an apartment.

"What, you can make vases, Himawari?" Hanabi asked her.

"Yup!" Himawari smiled proudly. "I can make vases, cups, plates, and hair ornaments!"

Neji sweat-dropped. "How did hair ornaments get mixed into the list?" he asked. Himawari shrugged, clearly not bothered by his question. Hanabi, Sarada, and Boruto laughed at that.

"Say, Himawari," Hanabi said. "You were a ninja too in your time right?"

Himawari stopped in her tracks to give it some thought. "I'm… not sure," she admitted. "Sure, I could fight like any other ninja, but I never went to the academy or was assigned a team."

Sarada tilted her head to the side. "But you did go on missions," she pointed out. "Missions officially assigned from the Hokage."

"Yeah, but that was because of…" Himawari stopped mid-protest and quieted down. "In any case, no, I wasn't a shinobi of the village." She chuckled. "I didn't even have my own headband!"

With that, she continued walking forward, Neji supporting her in her shaky steps. Boruto made sure to walk around the same pace as them, to make sure that if his sister tripped he would be able to catch her. Hanabi and Sarada saw a shop of sweets ahead and the former dragged the latter over to the shop window to look at cakes.

It was around noon already, and the streets were getting a bit less crowded due to the midday heat. Boruto watched the people around them. Families out shopping or going to lunch. Merchants selling their goods. Shop owners yelling and bickering with each other or with the customers. Everything seemed so… peaceful. So Konoha-like. It made him smile softly.

Behind him, he heard a sudden loud noise that could only be explained as the growling of a demon. Turning around, he saw that that noise was coming from his sister's stomach. Her face was red from embarrassment as Boruto laughed at her and Neji breathed in amusement.

"Meanies!" Himawari's red face grew even redder. "Stop laughing, Onii-chan!" she ordered Boruto to no avail. "I'm just a bit hungry, is all!"

"Oh, was that what that demonic sound was?"

"Shut up!" she whined. "Neji-niisan, Onii-chan is bullying me!"

Neji raised an eyebrow at her whines but gave Boruto a disapproving look nonetheless. "You shouldn't bully your sister, Boruto," he chided.

Boruto pouted as Himawari smiled victoriously. "Don't take her side!"

"I'm not choosing any sides," Neji said calmly. "I'm only doing what seems to be right in this case."

Another growl, this time from Boruto's own stomach, interrupted their conversation. Neji smiled at that. "I suppose we should break for lunch, then?"

Both Himawari and Boruto nodded. "Yeah!"

"Yeah what?" Hanabi asked, startling Boruto by appearing right behind him, Sarada in tow. "What are we doing?"

"We're going to lunch!" Himawari cheered.

"Oh!" Hanabi clapped her hands in excitement. "I know a great place!"

Sarada smiled. "Let's go then."

Hanabi grabbed Sarada by the arm and started dragging her and Boruto ahead, leading them through the streets of Konoha with Neji and Himawari following.

They arrived at a nice small café called "Sunflower," which all of them thought was ironic, and entered. It was a small shop with round tables and fancy chairs. Desserts lined a display window near the cash register. There were three other people in the shop, two reading the paper and one reading a book.

They made their way to the back of the shop, to a table near the wall with five chairs. Neji helped Himawari sit down before taking a seat next to her, grabbing a menu and reading over the options. Sitting on Himawari's other side, Boruto opened a menu himself and glanced over it. There weren't many options, and the pink pages were all decorated with cute stickers and pictures of certain dishes.

"Have you decided what to order yet?" A waitress appeared behind him, notepad and pen at ready.

"Hmm… everything looks so good; it's hard to decide." Sarada glanced over Boruto's shoulder at his menu. "I think I'll have the Club Sandwich and some black tea."

"Alright." The waitress wrote the order down. "What about you guys?"

"I'll have the Herring Soba," Neji stated, face stoic, shutting his menu with one swift movement.

"R-right…" The waitress seemed a bit frightened at Neji's sudden cold exterior and serious expression that didn't fit a cutesy café like this one.

"I'll have some cinnamon rolls," Himawari told the waitress.

"Cinnamon rolls?" The waitress repeated after her. "Like, plural?"

"Yes." Himawari nodded, her happy demeanor shifting into a serious one. "Just bring me as many as you can carry."

"A-alright then…" The waitress was seriously frightened by now. "What about you, s-sir?" she asked Boruto.

"I'll have one yakisoba bun, please," Boruto answered.

"One yakisoba bun, then." She wrote down his order. "And what about something to drink?"

"Just water, please."

"Okay." She closed her notepad. "I'll bring your food to you shortly!" She hurried off, still a bit shaken.

Hanabi laughed. "Honestly, Neji-niisan," she turned to her cousin. "I get that you're excited to eat your favorite food, but that doesn't mean you need to scare some poor waitress because of it."

"Wait." Sarada raised her hand. "He looks like this when he's excited?"

Hanabi nodded. "It's kinda hard to tell if you don't know him very well."

"Do I really look that scary?" Neji asked worriedly.

Himawari placed her chin on her palm as she leaned her elbow on the table. "I don't think you look scary."

"Of course you would think that," Boruto said, folding his hands behind his head. "You can look a demon in the eye and think it's cute."

"Some demons are cute!" Himawari protested.

Boruto patted her head. "Sure they are."

"Boruto, are you perhaps not good with horror stuff?" Neji asked his nephew.

Boruto's cheeks reddened. "No!"

Himawari laughed at that. "He's lying," she said. "Onii-chan is the absolute worse when it comes to horror movies or books."

"Am not!"

"Do too!"

"Am not!"

_Smack!_

"Sarada! What'd you hit me for?!" Boruto rubbed the now sore spot on the back of his head.

"You were being way too noisy," Sarada told him. "Someone had to shut you up."

"So you just had to punch me?" he asked her, betrayed.

"Well, I didn't _have_ to hit you…" Sarada said slowly. "But it just seemed like a much funnier way to make you quiet down, so I went for it."

"You…" Boruto's unfinished sentence managed to convey his annoyance at his friend's lax way of telling him that yes, it was fun to hit him.

Himawari and Hanabi laughed at that scene, and Neji just watched the Uchiha and Uzumaki and silence, a somewhat nostalgic look in his eyes.

Boruto noticed the look and turned to the Hyūga. "What is it?" He asked.

"It's nothing," Neji replied. "It just… you two reminded me of your parents. It was like watching the old Team 7 again."

Boruto laughed at that. "You have no idea how many times I heard that before," he said. "I mean, people say that I'm basically my dad but a bit smarter than he was at my age." His smile disappeared for a second before coming back, though a bit smaller this time.

"You think so?" Neji asked. "I mean, you do look very similar to each other, and your personalities are alike, but I don't think you're the same as Naruto."

Boruto's eye widened at Neji's words. He thought he wasn't like his dad? That was something Boruto rarely heard. Being the son of a legend as well as the son of the Hokage and looking like his father's clone had made it much harder for Boruto to find his true self, to be who he was meant to be. People wouldn't stop reminding him that his dad is this and that, that he did this and that as well. That he also said that or thought this.

How could you be yourself if people won't stop reminding you you won't be better than someone else, who you look up to? So, to hear from his uncle, who was close with his father, that he didn't remind him of Naruto might not seem like much, but it meant the world to Boruto. He let out a breath. Even now, he still had those insecurities about his father and himself. He thought he'd gotten over those years ago. Maybe they resurfaced because of the recent happenings in his life…

"Here's your food!" The waitress reappeared and placed their plates and drinks down. "This is everything, so please eat up and enjoy!"

"Thank you!" Himawari turned to the plate of almost-spilling cinnamon rolls in front of her. Her gaze reminded Boruto of a predator eyeing his prey. Before he could even blink, she all but jumped on her food and began devouring the sweet buns in bites that would put the Akimichi Clan to shame.

Neji dug into his soba with an expression somewhere between stoic and delighted, creating a rather weird look on his face as he ate, his movements still elegant as always.

Hanabi, who had ordered a shortcake, was enjoying the strawberries on top of it. Sarada bit into her sandwich with joy and Boruto, who had gotten his yakisoba, ate it in tiny bites, savoring the flavor rather than just attacking the food as his sister did. Honestly, he was pretty sure Himawari had scared the living daylight of the poor waitress when the latter saw the former eat her cinnamon rolls as she left.

"Hm…" Himawari hummed in thought. "These are good, but not as good as Mama's." She declared.

"Oh?" That attracted Neji's attention. "Hinata-sama makes cinnamon rolls?"

"Not just cinnamon rolls!" Himawari corrected him. "Mama can make a bunch of stuff! She can bake, cook, steam, and fry any kind of food!"

"Nee-sama can cook that well?" Hanabi sounded surprised.

"Yeah," Himawari nodded. "Doesn't she ever make something for you?"

"No," Hanabi shook her head slowly. "Not really…"

"Oh?" Himawari looked confused. "How come?"

"Well," Neji interjected before Hanabi could speak. "Things may have been better ever since the chūnin exams, but there's still a long way to go before we can mend our relationship with Hinata-sama entirely."

"Mend your relationship? But Mama always said that you were like an older brother to her." Himawari was confused.

Boruto flinched at the word 'were'. Talking about Neji in a past tense might not be the best idea. They still hadn't told him he died in the future, and between the three of them, they had decided to leave it be. No need to worry him with it, especially considering how complicated and fluid time could be. Changing the past can have large consequences on them as well. Luckily, Neji seems to have regarded Himawari's 'were' as just a way for her to talk about their destroyed village and lost family and friends, and hadn't continued to pry.

"Wait, what?" Hanabi interjected. "Nee-sama thinks of Neji-niisan like her older brother? Then, what does she think of me in the future?"

"You're our cool Hanabi-Onee-chan," Himawari said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Hanabi's cheeks slowly turned slightly red, and she smiled so widely she could probably swallow Himawari's whole cinnamon rolls plate in one bite. Neji seemed quite satisfied with how his relationship with Hinata will be and how she truly views him. It made Boruto kind of wonder what happened between them that made his uncle so anxious to hear about his relationship with his cousin.

Meanwhile, in the seat next to him, Sarada finished the last of her tea, the sandwich she ordered long gone by now. She was now hungrily eyeing Boruto's yakisoba bun. Sensing her thoughts, he opened his mouth as large as he could and shoved the entire bun into his mouth, finishing it in one bite. Sarada looked like she was about to protest, but closed her mouth at the last second. Boruto guessed she didn't want to reveal that she'd been planning to steal his food. He inwardly laughed at her actions.

On the other side of the table, the three Byakugan wielders had switched the subject to safer topics, like Himawari's past missions and Neji's missions, Hanabi's training and stories from Hinata's childhood Himawari was eager to hear about. Slowly, all the food they ordered disappeared from the table, all the drinks emptied and there were barely any crumbs left at all. They were pretty hungry, huh?

"Oh," Sarada looked at the sun in the sky through the window. "It's getting late. We should probably start making our way back to near the hospital so Shizune-san won't have a problem finding us."

Boruto nodded in agreement. "You're right," he turned to Himawari. "How are you feeling? Can you walk on your own yet?"

Himawari tapped her chin with her index finger, as if she was deep in thought, before smiling innocently. "I want a piggyback ride!" she declared. Boruto gave her a look, but she only glanced at him with an angelic expression, like she was the purest thing in the world and could do no evil. It didn't work on him, as he was far too experienced with her evil side to consider her too pure (though he had to admit most of the time his sister was the living incarnation of a holy saint), and instead sent Neji a pleading look. The Hyūga, seeing the latter's begging, sighed but offered to carry Himawari on his back. She happily took him up on that offer and after they paid for the food (Neji had graciously paid the tab, as neither of the other four had any money), they left the cafè and Neji bent down on his knees with his back to Himawari. She climbed on to his back and they were on their way.

Now that it was the afternoon, the sun was already past the middle of the sky and was starting to head west, the blue sky slowly beginning to gain a golden hue. Walking down the streets, fewer people were out shopping than there were before. Thank kami for that. A bustling Konoha with so many alive people and noises had been starting to stress him out, and he was feeling uncomfortable walking around. Now that it was quieter though, he finally got the chance to really look around and notice the differences in the buildings and shops as opposed to his time.

Everything looked much more… retro, than it did in his time. The flashing lights and blinking signs he was used to were instead replaced with wooden signs and soft-lit street lamps. In all honesty, he found that much more relaxing than his ever so bustling village with the neon lights everywhere at any time. Following the others from behind, he looked at their backs as they walked and talked.

Sarada's somewhat torn _Uchiwa _crest on her back, while earlier hidden by her hair (though it was barely recognizable with all the dirt and grim on it from the fighting), was now completely covered by the black jacket his clone got her, to not alarm people.

Himawari's hoodie never had the Uzumaki crest on it, but Boruto had a feeling that even if she did, it wouldn't matter since all the flask vests the shinobi of the village wore had the same crest on the back. He only wore the black hoodie since his favorite jacket with the red stripes had a torn sleeve and was filthy. Maybe he could ask Himawari to fix it for him.

Arriving near the hospital, at last, Neji bent down once more to allow Himawari to get off him with more ease. She was chatting with Hanabi and Sarada while Neji listened to them talk. Glancing around, Boruto spotted a short-haired woman holding a rather dressed-up pig in her arms frantically looking around as if she was in search of something. A closer look informed him that that woman was Shizune, the Hokage's aid and apprentice.

"Shizune-san!" he called out and lifted his right hand in a greeting. She noticed him and looked like she was breathing a sigh of relief before making her way to their group.

"Are you Boruto?" she asked once she arrived. Sarada made her way to stand next to him, scanning Shizune with her gaze.

"Yeah," Boruto smiled at her. "Did Granny Tsunade send you?"

Shizune nodded. "Tsunade-sama did send me here, yes. She has told me about your… situation. I am to guide you to the apartment she had rented for you and show you around."

"If that's the case, then Hanabi and I should be on our way then," Neji interrupted. "It's getting late, and we promised Hiashi-sama we wouldn't be out too long."

"Eh?" Hanabi whined. "But I wanted to see their new apartment!"

"You can see it some other time," Neji told her, grabbing her arm. "We'll see you three tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Himawari smiled. "Oh," she said, clapping her hands in realization. "Since you won't know where we live starting tomorrow, how about I'll come to the Hyūga Compound and pick you up?"

Hanabi seemed excited by the idea. "Yeah! and we can also go to buy clothes and furniture together!" she exclaimed.

Neji nodded. "Alright then, come by around noon. I'm sure that we'll be ready by then."

Himawari gave him and Hanabi one last hug before they two Hyūga cousins left, the older dragging the younger by her arm as she gushed excitedly about the different stores they were going to visit tomorrow and Neji nodding at her words, clearly tuning her out. The others watched them go until they disappeared out of sight before turning back to Shizune.

"So." She smiled at them. "Shall we go?"

* * *

The way to the apartment was not a long one from the hospital, but it was peaceful.

The apartment building was in one of the more distant streets from the center of the village, almost right up against the Hokage Mountain. Himawari was skipping excitedly the whole way there, jumping and turning while at it. Boruto watched the road and tried to memorize it by engraving certain objects and houses in his mind as he walked past them. Sarada and Shizune had kind of sunk into a deep conversation about medical ninjutsu and had forgotten about the rest of the world. A light breeze brushed his face while he walked, flowing through his hair and making his clothes rustle.

Shizune led them through a maze of streets and houses until they finally arrived.

The apartment building was a two-story building with stairs leading to the hallway, with five doors on each floor. It was quite a large building, clearly meant to house a lot of people. Shizune started to climb up the stairs to the second floor, and they followed. The second floor had a safety rail on the side to make sure nobody fell from it. As the walked down the hall, Boruto's hand fluttered over the rail, feeling the cold metal against his fingers. Shizune arrived at the last door on the floor and pulled out a key, unlocking the door.

Opening it wide, she went in and signaled them to follow her. They went in the door, wondering what was on the other end.

A one-stair high wooden floor lay before them, with a place to remove their shoes in the entrance before going into the apartment itself. Removing their shoes, they made their way onto the wooden floor. On their left, there was a corridor leading to three closed doors, two one next to the other, and one in front of them. To their right was a small kitchen with a counter with two small wooden stools and a table with four wooden chairs.

In front of them was a small living room area, already equipped with a tiny red couch, a matching red armchair, and two mahogany cabinets. A wooden partition with cherry blossoms drawn on it separated the kitchen and the living room, leaving just enough space for a person to walk between them on their way to the back door, which was situated also on the right, just next to the counter. Boruto assumed the door was leading to a small balcony, probably where you could hang up your laundry.

Shizune walked further in as the other three just stood and stared into the apartment from their place on the crossing between corridors. "So," she said nervously. "Do you like it? Tsunade-sama had already added some furniture she found in storage and didn't have use for anymore." None of them reacted, not knowing what to say. "Ah!" Shizune clapped her hands. "I almost forgot." She rummaged in her pocket before bringing out an envelope that seemed to be full. "She also gave me this to give you. It's some money to buy food and necessities, maybe even furniture, until you can get a job and pay for it yourselves."

That woke Boruto up from the trance he was under. He took the envelope from Shizune and looked at it. It was much heavier than he expected and seemed to be stuffed so much there was no room for air in the envelope. He smiled slightly at the image of Tsunade stuffing banknotes into an envelope and then trying to close it.

"Um…" Shizune tried to get their attention. "Is everything okay? You haven't said anything ever since you entered."

Himawari sniffed beside him. Looking to her, he saw her wiping her eyes. "It's, it's perfect," she said, looking around in awe. "Everything here is so perfect. I love it!"

"Yeah," Sarada nodded. "Me too."

"Me too," Boruto said, looking at Shizune. "Thank you, Shizune-san."

"Oh, no need to thank me." Shizune waved her hands nervously. "I'm just the messenger. Tsunade-sama was the one who did everything else."

"Then, tell her to come to visit as soon as she can so we can thank her in person." Boruto smiled.

Shizune smiled back at him and nodded. "Will do! I'll make sure she comes to visit you three!"

Sarada approached Shizune and gave her a quick hug. "You should come too, Shizune-san. Thank you."

Shizune seemed surprised, but returned the hug, smiling softly. "No problem, Sarada," she said. "Just tell me if there's anything you need. I'll help you."

"Will do." Sarada released the woman from her hug. "Thank you again."

Shizune smiled at her, before turning to Boruto. "There are some blankets and pillows in one of the closets, and the electricity and water are supposed to be connected tomorrow afternoon, so in the meanwhile, you can go use the public baths if you want to bathe," she informed him. "There is some instant food in the cabinet, but I highly recommend eating fresh food rather than the instant stuff. Oh, and here are your keys." With that, she placed three identical keys in Boruto's palm. "I have to get back to Lady Tsunade now, but I'll come by and check on you when they connect the electricity."

Boruto nodded. "Thank you, Shizune-san."

She waved him off. "Not at all." Making her way past him, she bent down and slipped on her shoes. "Goodbye, you three. Take care of yourself," she told them and waved before exiting the apartment and closing the door behind her.

Turning from the door, Boruto made his way to the table and placed all three keys on it. After that, he wordlessly made his way down the corridor to the three closed doors, Himawari and Sarada following him curiously. Opening the one on his right, the lone door of the wall, he saw it was a bathroom. There was a tub and a showerhead, and a curtain could be pulled around the tub for privacy. On the other side of the room was a toilet, and across from it was a sink attached to a cabinet and a marble counter. Above the sink was hanging a mirror. The room itself was a mix of light blue hues and white marble bricks.

Closing the door to the bathroom, Boruto turned to his left, where the remaining two unopened doors were.

"Those must be the bedrooms," Sarada said.

Boruto nodded. "So, how are we going to split it?" He asked the two girls.

"Split it?" Himawari repeated after him in confusion.

"The bedrooms," Boruto clarified. "Who's going to sleep in which?"

"Well, that depends," Sarada said.

"On what?" He asked her.

"On which one's bigger," she told him quickly before jumping on to the left door's doorknob and opening the door widely. The room was big and was already equipped with two single beds and bedside tables on each side of the walls, and a big window in between them. A large wooden closet and a drawer were also there. Himawari opened the door to the second bedroom, which was clearly the smaller one, and had already been equipped with a bed and a bedside table similarly to the first room, though this room also had a wooden work desk and a chair next to it just below the small window that had a view of the Konoha streets, and on the opposite wall was a small closet.

"I call dibs!" Boruto shouted as he sprinted into the room and jumped on the bed.

"Hey!" Sarada yelled at him. "No fair!"

"You got the big room," Boruto told her. "I get the small one, what's not fair about it?"

"But this room has a table!" Sarada continued to argue with him, crossing her hands over her chest. "I want a table in my room!"

"Ugh, if it's that important to you, I'll buy you a table!" Boruto waved the money envelope in his hand in front of her.

"Do you promise?" She pouted and looked at him cautiously.

Cute, He thought to himself. "Yeah, I promise." He told her from his place on the bed.

"Then fine," Sarada flipped her black hair away from her face. "But I'm holding you to that." She jabbed her finger in the air warningly.

"Right, right," he laughed at her actions.

"What's so funny?!" she asked him.

"You are," Boruto told her between laughs. "You act so ridiculous sometimes, it's hard not to laugh."

"Do not!" she yelled at him, face red in embarrassment.

"Yeah, you do." Boruto pointed at her. "Just like now, for example!"

Sarada's face reddened even more, and she stepped closer to him angrily. "Why, you—" Her words were cut short when she slipped on the uncleaned floor and fell right on top of Boruto, pinning him against the bed. Silence fell as the two stared at each other with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

Their faces were only a few inches apart, and Boruto could feel Sarada's warm breath on his face, sending a warm sensation to his ears. Sarada looked no better than he felt, completely frozen in place and blushing madly. They stayed like that for a whole minute, neither daring to move or even make a sound, their eyes still locked on each other's eyes. Don't just stare at her like an idiot, say something! his brain screamed at him. Say something? Like what? He didn't think he could even form a complete right now without instantly combusting or sounding like a total idiot. ...Not that he wasn't one already. But he had to say something. Otherwise, it'd be even more awkward.

Opening his mouth, Boruto attempted to speak. "Uh—"

"What are you two doing?" Himawari's voice came from the doorway, where she was staring at them. Her question seemed to snap Sarada out of her trance and she practically threw herself off of Boruto, scrambling to the other side of the room to get away from him. "I—um, you—uh…" she stuttered. She seemed to have a hard time standing, leaning heavily on the wall.

Boruto got off his bed as well, and although his face was probably still red, he tried to act normal. "What is it, Hima?"

"I found the cleaning tools, so I was wondering if you could make some shadow clones to help me clean the apartment," she told him, lifting her hands to show him the two sponges she was holding. She was also wearing bright yellow latex gloves.

"Sure, I'll make some for you." Boruto made his way towards his sister and snatched one of the sponges from her hand. "But I'll also help out. I can't have you doing all the work here." Looking over his shoulder, he caught Sarada's eyes. "You coming?" he asked her.

"Yeah." she cleared her throat and smoothed her hair down. "Let's go."

The three exited Boruto's room and got to work.

* * *

Four hours and five shadow clones later, Boruto collapsed on his bed in his new room and sighed in satisfaction. Himawari was a slave driver and had them make sure every nook and cranny in the entire apartment was spotless. He could still smell the lemony scent of the soap he used to clean the bathroom, even though he'd washed his hands around four times already.

Stretching on the bed, he accidentally kicked the cloak-wrapped katana off the bet. He bent down to retrieve them, settling the katana in his lap and unwrapping the cloak around it. The katana—and the cloak too—had once belonged to his master. Memories associated with the two objects flooded his mind. His vision blurred for a moment, and when it cleared again, he noticed the cloak had a few water droplets on it, and it was slowing staining from the tears leaking from his sole eye.

How pathetic. He couldn't even cry normally. He tightened his grip on the cloak and tried to swallow around the lump in his throat. Deep breaths. In. Out. They didn't seem to help much. The cloak was now damp from the constant shower of tears. Silent sobs wracked his frame and he trembled, trying to muffle his tears. Images of his parents, his friends, his master, his village, flashed in his mind, disappearing as fast as they appeared.

They were all gone now, without even a body to bury. Well, maybe there was, but he wasn't in the right Konoha anyway. He was in the past, where even if he happened to meet his father, the latter wouldn't recognize him. Boruto just wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. The sharp pain he experienced in his chest ever since he arrived in the past was getting harder and harder to ignore, sending a pulse of pain through his body every few seconds and making it even harder to breathe.

Outside, the moon had broken out of the clouds and was now shining through Boruto's window, illuminating his room. A ray of light landed on his katana sheath, and he suddenly felt the urge to draw it. Unsheathing the sword, he was momentarily blinded by the moonlight reflected in the blade. The blade wasn't dirty, but neither was it spotlessly clean. Not quite sure what he was doing, Boruto used the edge of his jacket sleeve to wipe away the grime on the katana until it shone again.

Afterward, he bundled up the cloak and torn jacket, which had been within the cloak, and shoved them as deeply as he could into the very back of his closet. He glanced around the room for something to store the katana in. He found a thin, long box that he'd pulled out earlier from underneath the bed in the corner of the room. It must've been left there by the previous tenant. He resheathed the katana and placed it in the box, before pushing it back underneath the bed and out of sight.

He wiped away the remaining tears with the back of his hand, and, removing the black hoodie his clone had gotten for him, he crawled into bed. After he was done, he got up with the jacket and cloak in his arms and walked to his closet.

Placing a hand on his collarbone, he felt the bolt necklace around his neck bulging against his white t-shirt. He grabbed it through his shirt and held it in his palm for a moment, deep in thought, before letting it go and reshuffling around his bed. Finally finding a comfortable position, with his back to the window and the moonlight, he managed to close his eye.

The pain in his chest got stronger once again, but this time, he ignored it, trying to sleep. Breathing deeply and slowly, he tried to even his heartbeat so he could go to sleep, but it wouldn't let him, beating rapidly, much faster than normal. The pain got stronger again, this time stealing away his breath with a sharp jolt. He couldn't breathe for a few moments and grabbed his chest in fear. Then the moment passed and he was able to breathe once again, though now his pillow was wet. Touching his cheek, he realized he had cried again.

"Enough with the tears already…" he murmured into the dark.

He laid in the dark for another long while, both of his eyes shut as tightly as he could, the tears streaming endlessly on his face, and him wiping them away time after time. He repeated this action, again and again, not knowing when it was going to stop.

Finally, long after he had first gotten into bed, he fell asleep, tear tracks staining his cheeks and pillow wet with tears.

The moon was again covered by a cloud, blocking what little light had gotten into Boruto's room, leaving it in complete darkness.

* * *

Elsewhere, in a moonlit field, a teenage boy sat alone on a rock. He looked up at the moon, a small breeze whispering through the field, and he closed his eyes with a small sigh.

Tied around his forehead was a Konoha forehead protector with a black band, the long ends of the cloth flowing in the wind.

A man with spiky white hair watched the boy sitting on the rock from the shadows of a tree. They were on their training trip and had just stopped that evening to set up camp. The white-haired man looked at the blond teen sadly. He thought the teen never looked more alone than in these moments, but he knew he wasn't the one that the boy needed by his side. His role was not that of a friend, but that of a guide, a mentor. There was an invisible wall between them that he could never cross.

He turned away and headed back to the camp.

_Tomorrow,_ he decided, _we'll start heading back._

It was about time they returned home

* * *

**Author's note: **Happy New Year everyone! My resolution for 2020 is to upload chapters as often as possible and learn how to ink traditionally. My hope for this year is that we'll reach 100 followers and 100 favorites because having this much support from you all right now is sending me to the moon, so having another 50 people like you that like my story is a dream coming true.

This chapter is the longest I've written yet, and I'm really proud of it! It's been three months since I've started the fic, and your support has been amazing, so thank you!

Something I thought I should clarify: Even though Hanabi is usually referred to as Oneechan by both Boruto and Himawari, I kind of figured since she's younger than them in this time, they'll just call her Aunt or Auntie for a while. It's not forever, but it's just to get their relationship started.

Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought? Would you prefer longer chapters like this?

See you next week!

**Beta Reader: **Silver Snowblossom


	8. Settling In 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The Time Travel arc in the Boruto anime is giving me life. Yas.**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 8: Settling In 1**

* * *

Sarada woke up to the sound of muffled crying.

It was around 2 in the morning, if she got the moon's position outside her window correctly. She was really tired and disoriented. Sitting up in her bed, she rubbed her eyes, confused. Her hearing improved slightly as she got up, enough to realize that the crying was coming from Himawari's bed.

Oh, she realized.

Now she was in a pinch. It's not that she didn't understand why Himawari was crying or anything, but it was that when it came to emotions like those Sarada really wasn't your go-to person. While she had always believed that she had a better ability to read a room and express herself than her father, she still had her shortcomings in that department. Must be an Uchiha thing. So now, with her friend crying less than two feet away from her, she tried to think of the best way to approach the situation.

Her voice cracked slightly as it came out softly, "Um..." great start Sarada. You're doing wonderful so far. "Hima-chan?"

Himawari's crying had stopped immediately, and Sarada heard her sniff a few times. "W-what is it, Sarada-chan?" Himawari's voice was still shaking.

"A-are you, um, okay?" Sarada asked her.

Himawari was still facing the wall. "Yeah," she told Sarada. "I'm okay."

"But you were crying," Sarada noted. "I don't think that qualifies as okay."

"I wasn't crying," Himawari said with a hint of stubbornness. "Really."

Sarada didn't know what to do. It's was clear that Himawari didn't want to talk about it, but she also knew she couldn't just leave her like this.

What would Mama do? She asked herself.

A sudden pain enveloped in her chest, burning her throat. Swallowing it back, she tried to think beyond it. When she was a little girl, she used to sometimes cry when there were storms at night, since the lighting scared her. When that would happen, her mother would always let her sleep together with her in the bed. She would hold her tight and not let go even when they fell asleep. Sarada glanced at Himawari again. Maybe if she was to…

Getting up from her bed, Sarada channeled chakra into her arms and lifted the bed with ease. Himawari turned around to see what was making all that noise. Only to watch in surprise at Sarada hauling her bed to the other side of the room, placing it so it would be linked to Himawari's own bed. Sarada moved the bedside table and pushed the two beds together, so the two separate beds had become a single double bed. Sitting down on her bed, she smiled at Himawari.

"It's lonely to sleep alone, so I came to cuddle." She smiled at Himawari.

Himawari looked at her with widened eyes and a slightly gaping mouth. "Eh?" She said, still uncomprehending the situation. "What to do you…"

"Well," Sarada laid back down and covered herself with her blanket. "It'll be a waste if we share a room but don't have a slumber party, right?"

Himawari stared at her, laying down on her bed, but didn't protest. She snuggled closer to Sarada so they faced each other on eye level.

Sarada reached out her hand and wiped a stray tear from Himawari's face. "It'll be alright, Himawari," she dropped the honorific. "I promise."

Himawari's blue irises filled with unshed tears and glistened in the moonlight. She clutched Sarada's shirt and buried her face in her chest. Sarada was surprised, but placed a warm hand on the girl's back, comforting her.

"S-Sarada, I-" Himawari stuttered, tears choking her words.

"It's okay," Sarada said calmly, though her eyesight was starting to get even blurrier than usual. "You can cry."

Himawari then cried, silently, to not wake up Boruto. Her body was trembling and she was letting out choked sobs. Sarada closed her eyes and felt the warmth of her own tears over her cheeks. Her hold on Himawari got stronger, and vice versa. They held each other as they shed tears with a sound, bodies trembling and suffocating under the unbearable pain and sorrow. It was as if Sarada's heart was drowning as if someone had attached an iron shackle to it and was now weighing her down with it. Down into darkness. The darkness she always feared, because she didn't know what was beyond it. Her father once went there, and she knew it had taken him a long time to get out of that place. Even then, even he did not come out unscathed.

The pain in her heart grew, aching and tearing her very being apart. It took her breath away, and she could feel how her heartbeats were yearning for her father and mother. Her friends. Her village. Himawari's grip on her got stronger, though her trembling had lessened. It seemed that she was beginning to fall asleep.

The smallest of smiles graced Sarada's face as she watched the girl in her embrace. She tended to forget it, but Himawari was younger than her and Boruto. She was always much more gentle and never believed that violence was the solution. So for a girl who loves peace and her family, it would be hard to lose both and be thrown into a strange environment. It would take its toll on anyone, mentally and physically. Sarada understood that very well.

Himawari's breathing had become more even and calmer, so Sarada had allowed herself to move back a little to allow the girl more room. The front of her shirt was drenched completely in tears. No matter, she and Himawari wanted to go shopping tomorrow anyway. The moonlight was strong in their room since they didn't have curtains on the large window. Sleepiness was grasping at her, pulling her in. Her eyelids felt heavier by the second, and her limbs refused to move. But she still couldn't close her eyes.

She stared at the ray of moonlight streaming down on her pillow. It might have been the tiredness, but to Sarada, it looked like a hand-shaped light, protecting her. Telling her it's okay to sleep.

"Remember Sarada, if you look at the moon, you'll know that somewhere, we also look up to it. So that way we'll always be with you."

"Mama," Sarada's voice was barely a whisper. "Are you and Papa looking up at the moon wherever you are?"

The light on her pillow flickered for a moment, and a tear escaped her eye as she allowed it to close, letting the darkness drag her into a sleep filled with dreams of the past.

* * *

**The morning came way too soon for Boruto.**

He opened his eye and saw his new room was filled with golden sunlight from his curtainless window. He resolved to get black, heavy curtains to make sure the sun never bothered him again.

Mornings were not Boruto's favorite time.

Coming out of his room after making his bed, Boruto yawned as he walked slowly through the corridor. Sarada and Himawari's room door was already open, but nobody was inside. Peeking in a bit more, he saw that instead of two beds on separate sides, it seems that the girls have pushed together the two beds and slept together. Boruto smiled, wishing he could have seen that. He could have had enough blackmail material on Sarada for two weeks with that information. She didn't like people knowing her soft side.

Closing the door behind him, he continued to walk down the corridor and past the bathroom door. Turning to the living room area, he saw that Sarada was laying on the couch with her feet on the armrest.

"Morning," she barely lifted her head to look at him.

"Morning," he yawned again. "Where's Hima?"

She just pointed in the direction of the kitchen and turned her back to him. She seemed pretty tired, so he decided to let her be for now.

Going to the kitchen, he saw Himawari sitting at the counter with her head on top of it.

"Morning, Hima," Boruto smiled at his sister's sleepy face.

"Oh," Himawari turned her head to look at him sleepily. "Onii-chan, good morning."

"Did you get any sleep last night?" He asked her worriedly. "Both of you look like hell."

"I heard that!" Came Sarada's annoyed and tired voice from the living room.

Himawari yawned cutely. "We did get sleep, but because there are no curtains, the sun woke us up really early."

"Early?" Boruto repeated after her in confusion. "Wait, what time is it?"

"Around 6 in the morning," Himawari told him. "Sarada and I have been awake since 5:30."

_No wonder I feel like dying,_ Boruto realized. _I rarely wake up this early._

"So," Boruto sat down on top of the counter next to her. "Any plans for today?"

"Mhm," Himawari nodded. "I want to go shopping. We need clothes, food, and other stuff for the apartment."

"I see," Boruto got up and grabbed the envelope full of money they got from Tsunade from the table. "Then, I guess for starters I'll have to go to a convenient store and buy us some breakfast, right?"

"You don't have to," Himawari tried to get up. "I'll go with you."

"Nah," Boruto placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her down to her chair. "You need to rest. I'll go get the stuff we need and then later we can all go shopping together for stuff."

Himawari looked like she wanted to protest, but pursued her lips instead with a pout. "Fine."

"Good," Boruto patted her head. "Now, you got anything, in particular, you want to eat?"

"Omelet," Himawari said, repositioning her head on her arms. "With a ketchup smiley face on it."

"You got it," Boruto said. "I'll be back in a bit."

Going back through the living room area, he stopped by Sarada's side and crouched near her head. "Sarada," he whispered softly, to not disturb her half-awake state. "I'm going to buy food, do you want anything?"

"Yakisoba," came a muffled answer from her, as her face was buried into the couch's cushion. "And black tea."

"Alright," Boruto got up from crouching and made his way back to his room. Grabbing his new hoodie from the floor, he put on quickly and grabbed the envelope from his bed, where he placed it before getting dressed. He was still wearing his white t-shirt and black pants from the battle in his time, though his pouch and kunai holster were now safely tucked away with his other belongings in the closet. Together with his new black hoodie, he went out of his room and walked to the front door. After putting on his shinobi sandals, he grabbed a key to the apartment from the pile and went out of the door.

Closing the door behind him, he was momentarily blinded by the early sunlight of the morning. Adjusting his eye, Boruto looked at the view from the second floor. There were houses, buildings, and shops all insight. The village was starting to wake up as well, with sounds from the streets of shop owners opening up their shops and a few people walking around.

Such a lively village, Boruto thought to himself. Sudden sharp pain in his chest made him kneel down and clutch his shirt for a moment while grabbing the railing for support. He counted to ten until the pain subsided and slowly got up.

So pathetic, he bitterly thought to himself. For me to feel that…

Shaking his head out of his thoughts, he decided to refocus. Himawari and Sarada were hungry, so he's going to get them some food. Completely ignoring the stairs to his right and jumping down to the ground from the second floor, Boruto straightened up and dusted off his clothes. Sticking the envelope in his hoodie pocket, he started to make his way to the shopping district he passed the previous day with Himawari, Sarada, Hanabi, and Neji.

A light breeze had picked up and passed through his hair. Although the sounds of a waking village were by no means quiet, it was still rather peaceful, comforting. Some dry leaves rolled past his feet as he walked. The blue sky above him had a bright and calming hue, and fluffy clouds were scattered in them. He pocketed his hands and continued down the road.

Reaching the convenient store he saw yesterday after a few minutes, he walked in with the doors opening automatically and then closing with a happy "ding!" sound behind him.

"Welcome!" A young male store clerk greeted him when he entered. Boruto nodded to him curtly before turning to the shelves of food in front of him. Sarada wanted black tea and yakisoba, and Himawari wanted egg omelet, so he needed to get all of those ingredients. Grabbing a small plastic shopping basket from the pile near the door, he went first to get some eggs. While picking up a large carton of eggs, Boruto saw from the corner of his eye the sweets aisle, filled from top to bottom with snacks and candy.

He smiled, knowing the Hima will be delighted if he brought something for her. Sarada might be pretty happy too. Walking to the aisle, he stopped for a moment to grab milk and then ketchup from their respected shelves. Reaching the aisle, he looked around to see the large selection of sweet delights in front of him. Candy, salty snacks, sweet snack, gum, and… chocolate. Boruto felt his temper suddenly rising and sighed, taking deep breaths and relaxing before turning to face something else.

his is ridiculous, The thought to himself, annoyed. So now I can't even look at chocolate without feeling like throwing a fit? What am I, twelve?

It's not like he could help it. As much as he would deny it, a lot of his memories involve that person, and because of that, of course, there would also be a lot of things that remind him of that person. It can't be helped. But has it really got to a level where he can't even look at a crappy piece of chocolate without wanting to blow something up? Are you kidding?

"Ugh," Boruto pinched his nose bridge. "Whatever, let's just get the shopping over with already." He muttered, annoyed. Turning his back to the chocolate, he grabbed some black tea flavored hard cookies from the shelf to his right and placed it in his basket before going other to the other aisles to complete his shopping.

After seven minutes of grabbing all the ingredients and necessities he could think of that they might need, Boruto made his way to the counter register to pay for the stuff he needed and go home to make breakfast for the girls.

"Got everything you need?" The store clerk asked him.

Boruto nodded without words and just placed the things on the counter for the clerk to scan. He had no idea how the hell the store clerk could be so chipper this early in the morning, though he resolved that mystery pretty quickly when he glanced over the clerk's shoulder and saw about four cups of coffee on the desk behind him. Eyeing the clerk, Boruto wondered how the young man's heart hadn't exploded yet with all of the caffeine in his system, but on the other hand, Sarada could drink around five cups and look like she barely touched one cup, so go figure.

He rarely drank coffee since it was way too bitter for him, the same goes for Himawari. His dad, however, used to drink so much coffee, Boruto's master used to say that combined with Naruto's hyperactive nature it's like adding gunpowder to an already-highly destructive bomb and then lock it up somewhere. Boruto found that particular description hilarious. He mentioned it the first chance he got at dinner, making sure to smirk all the while as he was telling his old man what his master had told him. It's safe to say that Boruto pissed his dad off that day.

Though having a pissed dad is better than no dad at all, Boruto thought bitterly. Blinking, he felt surprised. Where did that come from?

The store clerk finished packing Boruto's groceries in two plastic bags and handed them to Boruto. "Well, that's all!" He smiled at Boruto. "That'll be 250 ryō."

Pulling out the envelope, Boruto opened it and took out a few small bills, handing them to the clerk. Grabbing the bags from the counter, he didn't wait for the clerk to hand him the change and walked off, exiting the store while the clerk's back was still turned to him.

The sun was already pretty high up in the sky by the time he had arrived at the apartment complex, and by his guess, it was around 7 in the morning. Himawari and Sarada must be waiting for him.

Taking the stairs this time, Boruto slowly climbed up, the bags in his hands rustling with his movements. Reaching the second floor, Boruto made his way to the apartment door, pulling the key out of his pocket as he did. Getting to the door and unlocking it, he entered the apartment. The light in the kitchen was on, sending a slight yellow glow into the corridor in front of the entrance. Walking in, Boruto took off his shoes and placed them neatly near Himawari and Sarada's shoes.

Walking to the kitchen, he found Himawari sleeping soundly with her head on the counter, using her arms as pillows. He smiled at that, placing the grocery bags on the table and going over to her, picking her up in his arms and gently placing her against his shoulder. She stirred a little but remained sleeping, so he decided that it'd be okay if he just took her to her room, since she was clearly exhausted.

Walking past the living room, he saw that Sarada was also sleeping on the couch, a scene he chuckled at. She looked pretty cute to him.

Reaching Himawari and Sarada's room, he pushed the door open with his side and walked over to their joined-together bed. Moving Himawari from his shoulder to the mattress, he made sure she looked comfortable and then covered her with a blanket. Turning back to the door, he made his way to the living room, this time to take Sarada.

She was sleeping soundly on the couch, curled up into a small ball, and her the skin on her arms clearly had goosebumps. "Idiot," Boruto smiled slightly. "If you're cold, go sleep on a bed with a blanket already, -ttebasa."

Bending down, he lifted her up using a bridal-style sort of pose, which made him blush ever so slightly. Sarada's face looked peaceful when he looked at it, and it somewhat calmed down his heart, even though he didn't feel that his heart wasn't calm. Her head suddenly leaned against his chest, making him blush once again.

This girl… Boruto thought to himself warily while looking at Sarada's face. She's a danger to me even when she's asleep!

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Boruto carried her back to her and Himawari's room, walking in and placing her down next to his sister, covering her with a blanket as well.

He stood for a moment and watched the two as they slept. The seemed so peaceful. Boruto felt the dimmed pain in his chest get stronger once again, throbbing against his ribs and asking him to escape. He gritted his teeth at the unfathomable pain he felt throbbing inside his chest, stabbing his lungs and making his eyes sting from like a thousand needles. He needed air, and fast.

Going out of the girls' room, he made his way quickly to the balcony door. Swinging the door open, Boruto stepped outside to the tiny balcony and clutched the railing for his dear life. He bent down and tried to fight the pain with all his might, his only eye burning with tears yet unspilled.

Hold it in, Boruto begged of himself. Hold it in, please! I don't want to feel this way, so stop making me!

"Ngh…" he groaned at the pain his heart was under. Sitting on the balcony floor, hands clutching the railings and his head buried in his knees, he truly felt pathetic. "Damn," he murmured through gritted teeth, still fighting the tears. "That hurts like hell, -ttebasa."

He closed his eye and took a long, deep breath. He felt the pain in his body subsides, and loosened up the death grip he had on the balcony railing. He sighing a sigh of relief. The pain wasn't gone, but he definitely pushed it down enough so it won't bother him for a while, tugging at his attention and making him want to throw himself off the Hokage Mountain.

Getting up, he felt his feet were a bit wobbly, so he leaned on the rails for support. Looking up at the sky, he sighed again. It was frustrating, all this fighting he had to do to stay sane these past few days when all he really felt like doing is staring into the darkness in his room and nothing else. He knew Sarada and Himawari were the same as he was.

Himawari was only putting a brave face since she doesn't want him to worry about her, and Sarada simply because she couldn't help but deny her feelings since that would be too hard for her to bear. He knew how close she was with her parents, so for her to lose both of them is maybe even harder for her than for him.

Running a hand through his hair, he closed his eye and silently cursed under his breath, feeling the despair in his heart once again. Feeling this way frustrated Boruto a lot since he didn't like showing or feeling weakness at all. Besides, Himawari is being a tough soldier and doesn't show her pain, so why should he, her older brother, show it then? That would make him seem weak and incapable. He couldn't have that since he needed her to feel that she could rely on him.

Glancing at the sun above him, he determined that it was almost 8 AM, which meant he spent around 45 minutes sitting around and wallowing in his feelings. Great. If his master saw him do that…

It's not like he can see you anymore anyway, a voice whispered in Boruto's mind.

Shaking his head to clear it from thoughts like that, Boruto pulled himself up. No time to dwell on that stuff. He needs to make breakfast for the girls and himself.

Going back inside, Boruto turned to the shopping bags he brought with him that were still on the table, where he left them. They didn't have only food in them. He also bought some plastic utensils and paper plates, as well as a few basic spices and flavorings to make sure the food wouldn't taste bland. His biggest purchase was probably the pan he saw that was on sale. Himawari did say she wanted an omelet, and the only yakisoba he knew how to make was one that is made by frying it in a pan, so he thought it would help kill two birds with one stone if he did that.

The kitchen had an oven and a stove, luckily for him, so he organized his ingredients and got to work.

He couldn't do much as of now, but if Himawari and Sarada wanted to eat, he'd definitely do whatever he could to make sure they get food.

* * *

**"Himawari," Himawari heard her brother call her name. "Breakfast is ready."**

She rolled around and turned her back to him, eyes still closed. "Five more minutes…" she mumbled coherently. "I'm sleepy."

She heard him chuckle. "I know, but didn't you promise Neji-ojiisan and Aunt Hanabi to go get them later so we can go shopping?"

Himawari felt like she was freezing inside. For a moment, she was still so sure they were in the house they lived in with their parents, and she just slept in. That her father and mother were downstairs, getting ready to eat breakfast, and Boruto was sent to get her. But Neji's name brought her back to reality. She was no longer in her own time. No, this was a time before her parents even got together. Tears began to sting her eyes, but she pushed them down.

"R-right," she straightened up, the blanket she was covered with falling from her upper body. She looked around. In front of her, stood her older brother Boruto, though he didn't wear his jacket, but instead a black hoodie.

"Morning, sunshine," Boruto smiled at her. "Sleep well?"

"How did I get here?" Himawari was in her own bed, though she vaguely recalled falling asleep in the kitchen.

"I carried you here," Boruto started to head back outside the room, presumably back to the kitchen. "You shouldn't sleep outside of your bed Himawari, it'll make all of your muscles sore."

Himawari stepped out of bed, slowly. She noticed there was a small dent in the mattress next to her. "Did Sarada also fall asleep?" she asked her brother.

Boruto got to the door and turned to her, his face contorted in pain at the memory. "Yeah," he nodded. "She woke up and saw my face, got red, punched me in the gut, and went and locked herself in the bathroom."

"Are you okay?" she quickly made her way to him and tried to see if he was hiding any pain.

"What, the punch thing?" Boruto laughed. "Hima, after spending years working with Sarada, do you really think that a small tap like that from her is going to bring me down? Your lack of faith in your big brother hurts me."

"I guess you're right," Himawari took a step back and looked to the side. "Sorry, Onii-chan."

Boruto watched her for a moment before bursting into all-out laughter. "What are you apologizing for?" Himawari looked at him, surprised at his laugh. "Jeez, Hima, you're too much sometimes." He ruffled her hair and stepped over the door threshold. "Get ready and then come eat breakfast. I made you an omelet."

Himawari's stomach growled at the mention of food, so she nodded and quickly closed the door behind him. She needed to get ready quickly. Her yellow hoodie was torn and dirty, but her black leggings were good, for the most part. Just a small rip or two. The pink undershirt she wore beneath her hoodie was also torn, but much less compared to her hoodie. They'll have to get some more clothes today.

Deciding that a few small rips in her shirt are better than a filthy hoodie, she tried to clean it of soot with the best of her ability before stepping out of the door and going to the kitchen. She heard voices coming from there, so Sarada must have already gotten out of the bathroom and went to the kitchen herself.

"-saying that you could at least give me some kind of warning before you go and wake me up like that!" she heard Sarada tell Boruto as she entered the kitchen. The Uchiha heiress sat in one of the chairs with her elbow propped on the table and the other arm on the backrest. "It freaked me out!"

"I already said I'm sorry, didn't I?" Boruto had his back turned to the table as he was in the middle of transferring the omelet he made for Himawari from the pan to a paper plate. "Jeez, you'd think a girl wouldn't punch people in the stomach, -ttebasa," Boruto mumbled, though Sarada had definitely heard him. When he placed the plate with her yakisoba in front of it, she made sure to kick him in the shin. He winced but otherwise said nothing, probably admitting to himself that he deserved that one.

Some people may have thought the two weren't all that close, but Himawari always thought that they got along well, and maybe even more than that, judging by how Sarada's cheeks were still dusted with pink. Himawari giggled to herself as she took a seat and awaited her plate of omelets.

After being served, Boruto had also sat down next to her and begun eating his food from his paper plate. The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes, only the sounds of chewing and the occasional plate-shifting heard in the apartment. Himawari felt a little cold, though the apartment was warm enough.

She remembered that in her time, at her and Boruto's house, it was always warm and bright, with her mother's presence and all the flowers and light and pillows and vases making the house as homely as possible. It was where she grew up, with all the precious childhood memories she had collected through the years with her brother, mother, and father. This apartment, in comparison, was cold and dark, although the light was on. It was bare, with only the necessary furniture and items. Looking around while chewing, Himawari felt as if the apartment was missing something, something to make it more… bright.

Boruto was first to finish his dish, pushing his empty plate away and stretching his arms above his head. "Hey Hima," he turned to Himawari. "Shouldn't you get going soon to pick up Neji-ojiisan and Aunt Hanabi?" He asked her. Himawari swallowed her bite and nodded. She should go as soon as she finishes eating since the sun was steadily climbing up the sky and the hour they agreed upon meeting was getting closer.

"I've been thinking," Sarada said, looking at Boruto. "Why do you call Neji-san 'ojiisan'? Shouldn't you call him Uncle or 'niisan' like Himawari does?"

"I guess you're right," Boruto brought a hand to his chin in thought. "I'm just used to calling him that from Mom's stories."

"How about just calling him Neji and see how he reacts?" Sarada suggested. Boruto shrugged. "Sure," he used his chopsticks to steal a few noodles from Sarada's plate and placed them in his mouth. "I guess I could give it a try."

"Boruto!" Sarada looked scandalized. "How dare you take my yakisoba from me!"

Boruto laughed at her reaction, not at all bothered by the angry look she directed at him. "It's just some food Sarada," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Relax a little."

Sarada's retaliation was to throw one of her chopsticks at his face with terrifying accuracy and strength, which he avoided only by moving an inch to the right. The chopstick penetrated the chair's backrest, going three inches deep into the wood. If Boruto hadn't moved that exact inch, he might have lost his other eye as well.

"Sarada!" Boruto cried out. "The hell d'you do that for?!"

"Hmph," Sarada pushed her glasses up her nose. "Don't underestimate the Uchiha resolve."

"Resolve of… food?!" Boruto looked incredulous.

"Well, duh," Sarada rolled her eyes and proceeded to pick up a noodle with her remaining chopstick, watching it dangle from the shaved wood stick.

"Honestly…" Boruto murmured under his breath as he took out the chopstick from the chair and inspected the damage. "Couldn't you at least not put so much strength into it? You really did a number on this chair."

"It was weak," Sarada said with a straight face. "So it didn't make the cut."

Boruto snorted and returned the chopstick to her. "One day you're gonna actually kill me, aren't you?"

Sarada's retaliation was to slurp on her noodles in silence without breaking eye contact with him for a solid minute, making him sweat nervously. Himawari laughed out loud at their antics, admiring how the two are so comfortable with one another, that all they need is to be next to each other for their spirits to lift up.

It kinda reminded her of Elana and herself, though they didn't harbor secret feelings for one another, and Himawari was pretty sure that her Uchiha friend and older brother did, however. Himawari's smile faltered for a second as her thoughts reached her best friend. Images of that last battle, and the days before it flooded her mind like a tidal wave rising much higher than she could ever wish to overcome-

No, she shook her head to stop those thoughts at their tracks. I can't think of that right now, I need to stay as positive as I can right now.

"Hima?" Boruto looked at her, a worried look barely suppressed in his eye. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Himawari regained her composure and tried to look happy. "I was just thinking that I should start heading to Grandpa's house."

"Alright then," Boruto accepted her little lie. "But remember, he's not our grandpa yet, so be careful not to call him that if you see him."

Himawari nodded and smiled. "Don't worry Onii-chan, I will," she pushed her chair back from the table and got up, placing her plate on the counter next to the sink. "In the meantime, you and Sarada should get ready and head out to the shopping center, and we'll meet you there."

Boruto nodded, though his eye was scanning her face in what seemed to be a calculative look. "I'll be fine, Onii-chan," Himawari interpreted his gaze as worry and tried to reassure him.

"Just… be careful, alright?" He asked her with a sigh. "We're not from this time, and we don't know what would happen to us if we change anything, nor how we got here in the first place. If something were to happen to you while I'm not there…"

"Seriously, Boruto," Sarada leaned on her elbow while sipping on her cup. "Hima is a big girl. She can take care of herself."

"I know, I know…" Boruto sighed.

"I'll go put on my shoes," Himawari started to make her way to the front door. "Don't forget to bring the envelope, Onii-chan!"

"I won't, -ttebasa!" Boruto called annoyed after her and she giggled.

"Don't worry Hima," Sarada said while getting up and placing her dishes on the counter. "I'll make sure he won't forget."

"Sarada!" Boruto's voice was almost whining. "I'm not a baby!"

Sarada and Himawari laughed at the blonde. Hima sat down on the genkan step and proceeded to put on her dark purple ninja sandals. Out of all her changing outfits over the years those sandals were the only thing the hasn't changed, though maybe just in size. It was a gift from her grandfather, and she cherished it with all her heart.

Speaking of grandfather, she is about to go meet him for the first time in this timeline. From what she heard of Aunt Hanabi talking about him when she was young, it appears that during this time Hiashi was still rather… stoic. Hanabi actually used the sentence "had a stick up his ass" to describe his personality of the time she was Himawari's age, though Himawari couldn't quite picture it. Her grandfather was kind and spoiling. He liked to cuddle her and shower her with love and gifts. Sure, there were moments where he was rather formal and strict, especially during training, but Himawari never saw him as stoic and serious (the way) Hanabi had talked him up to be. Needless to say that Himawari was curious to see how much of Hanabi's tales of the Hyūga household head was true.

Getting up and tapping the point of her right leg against the floor two times, she turned her head back to the hall behind her. "Okay, I'm going now!" She called out. Boruto's head popped out of the end of the hall from behind the corner. "Alright," he smiled at her. "Have a safe trip."

Himawari smiled at him. "See you in a bit!" She waved before going out the door and closing it behind her.

* * *

**Author's note: **I'm very tired right now, and I might be in the middle of a writer's block, but I'm powering through it.

I've have been struggling to write a bit because I really want to get to those interesting arcs ahead, but to get there I first need to finish this arc, so I'm going to to do my best to write at least 5k chapters for this arc until it's end, and then maybe aim for 6k with the next arc?

Also, thank you guys so much for 60 followers of the story! I was pretty surprised I got so many people who want to read my unoriginal time travel fic, and we're only seven chapters in! This chapter is unbeta-ed as well, but I really tried my best. I'm thinking it might be best to go without a beta for a while and try to improve my writing by editing this fic alone for a few chapters. If you notice any kind of mistake, grammatical or spelling, punctuation or inconsistencies, please let me know through a PM or a comment. I review every comment I get and usually answer PMs in a day or two.

Thank you for reading and see you next week!

**Beta Reader: **The patient and incredible AgresteBug, who gave me great advice and strived to make my 6k document something readable.


	9. Settling In 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I will own a Surface Go laptop soon since my birthday happened recently.**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 9: Settling In 2**

* * *

Himawari noted that the Konoha of the past was vastly different from the Konoha she knew. She heard her parents' friends talk about the attack of an enemy that destroyed the village when they were teenagers, and that was the reason for the rebuild. That must be why this Konoha looks different.

_That also means that that enemy hasn't attacked yet,_ Himawari noted. The thought of such a destructive force making her shiver. Though she wasn't surprised that people liked that existed. She was the daughter of one of the strongest shinobi to have ever lived and of a princess of the Hyūga. She was around strong people so often not much could faze her in terms of strong opponents.

Still, those days are over now…

Shaking these thoughts away, Himawari proceeded down the path to the Hyūga household she walked on two days ago while still fuzzy from sleep. They've already been in the past for three days, yet it feels like more time has passed. She did note that the streets are not nearly as crowded as they are in her time but figured it must be because of the difference in eras. In her era, its peaceful and cheery, streets and shops brimming with life. But in this era, it's more like time is stuck in this twilight moment, the light and dark are fleeting in an eternal chase, the weather is neither cold or warm, and the liveliness she used to know from her childhood is not nearly as powerful and less seen. It's not to say that there was no cheer at all in the village, the opposite is the truth. People were walking the streets, the shops and stalls around open for business with the owners yelling out their prices and arguing with costumers, and kids running around playing.

_Konoha, no matter what era, will always be cheerful,_ Himawari mused.

But still, there was this eerie feeling in the air, like an uncomfortably chilly hand was waiting to grab you. Everything about the people seemed... rushed.

_Must be because of the war, _Himawari realized as she watched the many weapon shops and patrolling shinobi wearing the Konoha vests._ Everybody is like this because they're not sure when the next time they'll be able to do this be._

Living during wartime was something she needed to get used to. Everyone seems a bit on edge, and it made her also tense up a bit.

Turning around a corner, she was finally seeing the household she spent a lot of her childhood in. This time, she came from the front gate, not the back, so she didn't see the playground she collapsed in. Approaching the gate, two Hyūga guards stood there with their stoic expressions. She giggled to herself. It's like nothing has changed…

Her small smile disappeared at that thought. Something did change. This was no longer her home nor her clan, genetics or not. The people of the Hyūga didn't know her, and she needs to accept reality fast if she's planning on staying in the village.

The guard closest to her noticed her when she was about ten meters away from the gate.

"Halt," he told Himawari as his shoulders tensed and he scanned her features. He looked as if he was around his thirties, with the signature brown Hyūga hair and the pupilless lavender eyes. He and the other guards wore the standard Konoha vests and their headbands. "Who are you? What business do you have here?" He questioned her.

"Oh, um…" Himawari was caught off guard by the guard's hostility. "I'm here to meet Neji-niisa- uh, I mean, Neji-san and Hanabi-san." She inwardly screamed at her almost-slip up.

"Are Neji and Hanabi-sama aware of your visit?" The second guard asked her. He didn't look as tense as his partner but did seem wary of her.

"Yes, they are," Himawari nodded. "We promised to meet up yesterday."

The guard scanned her face for one more moment before stepping aside and allowing her to pass. "Let the maid in the entrance know who you're looking for and wait there. Don't make too much noise and don't touch anything you're not supposed to."

Himawari smiled at the man as she passed the gate into the compound. "Thank you!"

The gate closed behind her and she was inside. Making her way to the house at the end of the stone path, Himawari allowed herself to look around. The inside of the wall looked almost exactly like the one from her childhood. The koi pond, training area in the yard, and even the old trees looked familiar. The atmosphere was a strange thing. Fewer Hyūgas were moving around than she remembered, and the serious vibe she got was definitely in contrast with the livelier vibe she felt when visiting as a kid.

Reaching the house, she slid open the front door and stepped inside quietly. A maid who was just walking by noticed Himawari walking in and approached her.

"Hello, can I help you?" The woman smiled at Himawari.

"Yeah," Himawari smiled back at her. Being inside the house calmed her. "I'm looking for Neji-san and Hanabi-san. Are they here?"

"I'll call them," the maid began making her way back into the hall. "Please wait here, it'll only take a few minutes."

"Sure!" Himawari clasped her hands behind her back and leaned backwards. She heard the sound of the maid's footsteps become faint as she slowly walked down the hall. The genkan step was made out of light brown wood and looked comfortable, so she sat down on it with her legs sprawled out in front of her and her hands supporting her weight. The house helped her feel safe, as it was packed with memories for her, no matter what era she's in. Sitting in the entranceway like this has made her recall all the times her mother lectured her as a child to take off her shoes before entering, or when her grandfather would stand in the hall as they walked in and almost glared at them before breaking the facade and smiling, proceeding to cuddle her and Boruto.

She blinked rapidly and wiped her eyes with her sleeve as she felt some tears form in the corner of her eyes. This is no place to cry.

The sounds of footsteps scurrying down the hall behind her and caused her to jump. Two arms wrapped her shoulders from behind and made her tense. "Hi-ma-wa-ri!" Hanabi's voice came from behind her with a tone that cleared for Himawari that her young aunt was grinning. Turning around, she smiled at the Hyūga heiress that hanged off her shoulders. "Aunt Hanabi!" She wrapped her arms around the girl's frame and pulled her into an awkward half-hug from her twisted position on the genkan step.

"Hanabi-sama," Neji appeared in Himawari's vision-field from the hallway. "Please remember to at least try to act properly when in the house?" He asked his cousin expertly.

Hanabi rolled her eyes and sent a look to Himawari as if saying "can you believe this guy?"

"It's my house Neji-niisan," she told him. "I can act however I want and everybody will still fear me!" She broke into a really bad impression of a maniacal laugh, which made Himawari giggle. Hanabi released Himawari from the weird hug and stood up. She wore a yellow-ish-orange kimono rather loosely with a fishnet training shirt under it. It reminded Himawari a lot of how Hanabi's future-self usually dress.

"Ready to go shopping?" She asked them as she got up.

"If it's shopping, I'm pretty sure I was born ready," Hanabi said with a serious face. "Let me get my shoes and then it's off to the battlefield!" She raised her fist in the air.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Battlefield?"

"I don't care if you think it's funny Neji-niisan," Hanabi said as she got her shoes from their place and sat down on the genkan to wear them. "It's true. The shopping world is a warzone to those with experience."

Neji did not seem impressed by that information, sitting down to put on his shoes and turned his gaze to Himawari. "Where are Boruto and Sarada?"

"Oh, they were still eating when I left so we scheduled to meet up in the shopping district instead," Himawari told him.

"Speaking of the district," Hanabi stood up after finishing putting on her shoes. "You're not going to walk around there in _that, _are you?" She asked Himawari while eyeing her outfit with a skeptical look.

"Well, no," Himawari bashfully rubbed the back of her head. "But those were the cleanest out of the clothes I had, so I kinda had to wear them."

Hanabi clapped her hands together just as Neji stood up. "Alright, so our first order of business is to get you new, un-smelly clothes." She then looked at Himawari with a tilted head. "I guess Boruto and Sarada's clothes are in similar states?"

"Um… yeah," Himawari admitted. "Onii-chan's clothes look worse than mine, though."

"This is a catastrophe!" Hanabi yelled in horror. "Good thing you have me with you. I know all the good deals and clothes shops in a 1-mile radius from here. We'll get you fixed up right away."

Himawari sweatdropped at the girl's determination on the matter and looked at Neji for help. He shrugged and turned to slide open the door.

"Now that we have our battle plan," he said with an expressionless face that made it hard for Himawari to know if he actually meant those words or was just joking. "Let's get going, shall we?"

"Yeah!" Hanabi threw her fist up in the air once again and jumped. "Let's go!"

Himawari gulped but laughed at her young aunt's actions. It was going to be an interesting day, at least.

* * *

Boruto tapped his foot against the ground in anticipation. Himawari and the others were supposed to arrive already, and he was getting impatient. Even after all these years, some traits he could not rid himself of, even if he tried. He will always be impatient, even if not exactly like how he was in his preteens.

Sarada watched the people moving around in the street in front of them from her place next to him. "I'm dying to get rid of those clothes," she told Boruto while tugging on her shirt. "They stink, and itch way more than I think they should."

Boruto nodded. "I get it." he also wanted to get rid of his clothes and get something else to wear. Maybe something that didn't make him look like an edgy teenager who worships a demon or something.

"Oh," Sarada moved from the wall they were leaning on and looked to their side. "They're here."

"Onii-chan, Sarada!" Himawari was running towards them whilst waving. Hanabi and Neji were walking behind her, clearly not feeling like running. "Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Boruto smiled slightly and moved from his position on the wall as well. "No worries. You ready to go?"

Himawari smiled at them. "Yup!"

"First things first," Hanabi appeared behind Himawari with a critiquing look over their clothing. "We need to get you new clothes, immediately. This is an abomination."

Neji just sighed and massaged his temple while Sarada chuckled nervously and Boruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Aunt Hanabi." The blonde teased the Hyūga heiress.

Hanabi's eye twitched. "Listen here, buddy," she said in a low menacing voice as she stepped over to Boruto, somehow still seeming intimidating although Boruto was several inches higher than her. "I may be your aunt in the future, but ain't no one almost a foot taller than me is calling me aunt now, got it?"

Boruto just chuckled at her words and patted her head. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry," he said before adding; "Auntie."

"You're dead!" Boruto dodged a gentle fist aimed at his head thrown at him by Hanabi, who had activated her Byakugan for the chase, veins popping from either side of her head.

"Onii-chan!" Himawari called after him in concern, but he waved her worry off, indicating he didn't feel threatened by the angry brunette who was after his head.

Seeing that she won't get to him this way, Hanabi deactivated her Byakugan with a reluctant sigh. "You're off the hook this time, but don't think you'll get this lucky next time." She had told him warningly.

"Yeah yeah," Boruto smiled at her cheekily. "I know, -ttebasa."

Hanabi rolled her eyes but didn't make any other indication that his dismissal of her threat had made any impact on her.

"You're so immature, " Sarada said smirking, not bothered by the glare he sent her way. Neji and Himawaristood behind her, Himawari hiding her giggles and Neji looking amused.

"Onii-chan, you shouldn't make Aunt Hanabi mad like that," Himawari told him, berating him.

"I know, but if I risk having a crazy future aunt's after me with their Byakugan eyes and thirst for murder by doing it, it's much more fun." Boruto defended his case.

"I did not have a thirst for murder!" Hanabi protested.

"You were leaking so much killing intent I'm almost positive you just entered the Konoha blacklist right now," Boruto told her.

Hanabi's face flushed with what Boruto assumed was embarrassment at his words. A girl who is an heiress to a prestigious clan probably shouldn't go around flaunting killing intent easily. Oh well.

"Anyway…" Sarada changed the subject. "Hanabi-san, where do you think we should start shopping?"

Shopping was probably the right word to snap Hanabi out of her embarrassed state and into what Boruto could only call "business mode". "I think we should start with the closest department store here. You all need clothes, and wearing these is inexcusable."

With that, she grabbed Himawari's wrist and began dragging her behind her, signaling the others to follow. Himawari sent Boruto and look of fear and mouthed the words _"help me"_ at him, but he just grinned at her and pocketed his hands. His sister's eyes grew larger with a look of betrayal and she turned away from him to send the same distress call to Neji, who didn't do anything like Boruto but did give her an understanding look as if he knew the suffering she was about to endure.

Hanabi dragged them all to a rather large department store with sections for both men and women. Many mannequins stood in different poses and were modeling varying clothes. "Alright," the girl declared. "Neji-niisan, you'll take Boruto to the men's section. Pick out four shirts, a jacket, some pants, and underwear," Boruto spluttered at that last part, but Hanabi didn't seem to notice. "I'll take the girls and pick out their clothes. And remember, don't buy anything without asking me to approve it first." She pointed a threatening finger at both of them.

Neji nodded. "Very well. Let's go, Boruto." He told Boruto and turned to the shirts display of the men's section. Boruto followed him, hands in his black pants, lax posture. He remembered being dragged by his mom and sister to go clothes shopping as a kid. He never liked how long it took them to decide on one article of clothing, let alone a few.

He prodded through a few different shirts before picking out three simple white ones and a black one. Neji stood to his left and was in the process of taking out a few baggy black pants. "Are those around your size?" He turned to Boruto and presented him with a pair of pants. Boruto examined their length for a moment before nodding. "Yeah," he told his uncle. "Can you find some shorts, too?"

Neji nodded. "Yes. I'll go look."

Now with the Hyūga walking a bit further to find him some shorts, Boruto took the pile of shirts he picked out and made his way to the coats and jackets section. There was a large selection, all of varying colors and sizes, and it almost overwhelmed Boruto while he tried to find something that catches his eye. He ended up picking out a simple black one with two white stripes on both sleeves. The jacket had large pockets and a high collar. It was made from a rather thick cloth, which would keep him pretty warm in a cold environment. It wasn't like Boruto's favorite red and black jacket which was currently stored in the bottom of his closet, but it'll do. Boruto had a feeling it will be a while before he would be able to wear his old jacket without feeling like punching something.

After grabbing some underwear as well as per Hanabi's recommendation, he joined Neji who had all the other clothes on the way to the checkout counter. Hanabi, Himawari, and Sarada were standing there waiting for them, each had around two bags in their hands.

"You do realize we have limited money?" Boruto asked his aunt, raising an eyebrow and glancing worriedly at the bags they held.

Hanabi rolled her eyes at him. "Oh please," she dismissed his worries with a shrug. "There's no such thing as too many clothes."

Boruto felt ever more worried at that notion. "I'm pretty sure there is," he said. "But whatever, it's your call."

"Damn right it's my call," Hanabi gave him a smug smirk.

He was already regretting asking her to come shop with him.

"Well, anyway," his young aunt changed the subject. "Take those," she shoved the bags in her arms onto Boruto's hands. "And you take those," she took Himawari and Sarada's bags from them and loaded them on to Neji. "Go pay for them." Hanabi pointed in the direction of the register.

"And what are you going to do in the meantime?" Boruto huffed, annoyed at Hanabi's actions and to balance the sudden weight that was added to his arms.

"We're going to pick out the furniture, duh," Hanabi said as if it was the most obvious thing to do.

"Right… how stupid of me not to realize this totally obvious thing…" Boruto mumbled sarcastically under his breath.

"Yeah, it's pretty dumb of you," Hanabi agreed with him, having heard him, and completely ignoring the sarcasm leaking out of every syllable he said.

Boruto just sighed. He knew there was no real point in trying to reason with girls or try to understand their thought process. Proceeding to the counter with Neji, he placed all the bags on it and fumbled in his pocket for the money envelope.

"That'll be 250 Ryu," the store clerk smiled at him. Boruto stared at her for a moment before looking down at his clothes and wondering if he should give up on a few of his underwear. Neji sent him a look he could only interpret as "don't even think about". Sighing, he took out the requested sum of money and handed it over to the clerk. The envelope became considerably lighter in his hands, but he tried not to think about it too hard. At least the rent on their apartment was covered for two months…

"Thank you for your business," the clerk smiled at him again, and Boruto momentarily wondered what would happen if he were to punch the guy in the face. Would he still smile at him? Shaking his head from those thoughts, he nodded at the man and reached out for the bags before Neji blocked his hand.

"Excuse me," Neji turned to the clerk. "Would it be possible to have those bags transferred into a sealing scroll?" He asked the man who in turn nodded. "Of course, it'll just take me a moment."

Boruto sent a surprised look to Neji, who shrugged. "It's a trick I learned after having to carry all of Hanabi-sama's bags so many times. The sealing scrolls are often quite small, so it's more convenient to carry that way."

Boruto smiled, understanding. When he was young, Hanabi used to drag him to shop with her, and she always had him create some shadow clones to help her carry the bags of clothes. If only he knew about the scroll then… it could have saved him a serious back pain.

"Thank you for waiting," the clerk reappeared behind the counter. "Here are your scrolls." He handed Boruto two scrolls. Boruto grabbed them and stuffed them in his pants' pocket. "Thanks," he thanked the clerk before making his way out of the store, Neji in toe.

"So, where'd the girls go?" He asked the Hyūga.

"That way," Neji pointed at a store that had a small couch and a mahogany table presented in its window. "This shop is where Hanabi-sama usually buys furniture."

"Why would Aunt Hanabi need to buy furniture?" Boruto asked him.

Neji shrugged. "I don't know the answer to that particular question," he told Boruto as they walked to the store. "I cannot always understand the thought process of Hanabi-sama."

"I don't think anyone can, for that matter," Boruto said honestly. "Even Mom always had a problem saying what Auntie was thinking."

"Hinata-sama did?" Neji asked him, turning a curious gaze towards him.

Boruto shrugged. "Yeah," he said. "Even Grandpa used to say that when Hanabi was young, she acted too mature for her age, and when she grew up she acted like a child."

Neji blinked, looking confused. "Did you just call Hiashi-sama 'Grandpa'?"

Boruto shot him a glance. "Yeah, why?"

"Nothing really, I just can't imagine Hiashi-sama as a 'Grandpa', I suppose."

"Well, he's one smothering Grandpa, I'll tell you that," Boruto chuckled. "He always doted on me and Himawari, and tried to cuddle us." He shivered. "And when we wouldn't comply, he would threaten us with his Byakugan."

Neji looked like someone had just slapped him, staring openly at Boruto with a gaping mouth. "Uh, Neji?" Boruto waved his hand in Neji's face, trying to get a reaction from him. "Is everything okay? You look like you short-circuited there."

Neji blinked and shook his head. "I'm fine," he cleared his throat. "I was just… surprised by how you described Hiashi-sama's actions."

"You don't say…" Boruto wouldn't call the almost-seizure Neji had there being "surprised", but if he said so…

Reaching the store, they went in, Boruto jumping slightly at the chiming sound coming from above him. Glancing upwards, he saw a small copper bell hung to the doorframe.

"Oh, Onii-chan!" Himawari waved him from inside the store when she and the girls were standing next to a display of tableware.

"Hey," Boruto approached them, examining the display as well.

Hanabi seemed to be deep in thought as she stared at a set of plates with small illustrations of delicate blue flowers. "I think we'll take those," she told Sarada who stood next to her.

Sarada nodded, also in thought. "Yeah, I agree. And for the big plates and bowls, we'll take that set we saw earlier?"

Hanabi was already calling other a store employee and asking him to get her a packed set of the plates and the bowl and large plates Sarada mentioned. "Already ahead of you," she told Sarada with a smirk.

"Right…" Sarada seemed a bit apprehensive but continued anyway. "And about couch cushions, bed sheets, blankets, and pillows…"

"I think the sets Himawari saw earlier are good," Hanabi told her. Sarada and Himawari nodded in agreement.

Sarada turned towards the bedroom section. "I'll go grab them," she motioned for Boruto to follow her. "Boruto, mind give me a hand with those?"

Having nothing else to do, Boruto took out his hands from his pockets and followed her. He expected her to walk straight to the section but was surprised that she instead turned and walked to the bathroom section instead.

"Uh... Sarada?" She jumped at his contact with his shoulder as if she was shaken from her thoughts. "You're going the wrong way."

Sarada blinked and stared at him for a moment, his words not registering in her mind. He waited a moment before he saw the comprehension appear on her face. "Oh, sorry," she apologized and turned back to the sheet shelf.

"Sarada?" Boruto placed a hand on her shoulder a second time. "Is everything okay?"

Sarada glanced at him, obviously having only half-heard his question. "What do you mean?"

She asked him, albeit nervously. "Of course everything's okay. Why?"

"Nothing, it's just that you're acting a bit… off," Boruto furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed her gaze was averted from him. "And you seem sorta unfocused."

"I'm fine, Boruto," Sarada sounded tired and a bit frustrated. "I was just remembering something, that's all."

"Oh," Boruto removed his hand from her shoulder. "What did you remember?"

Her shoulders tensed and clenched her jaw, a clear sign it was probably not a good idea to ask her that. "Nothing important, it's all good now." She said though he knew she knew he wasn't convinced.

Deciding to drop it, for now, he changed the subject. "Hey, after we're done with the bed stuff, I remember promising to buy you a desk?" He gave her a crooked smile. Luckily, she smiled back at him. "Yeah, and a chair." She told him.

"I don't remember a chair being part of the deal," Boruto looked at her skeptically.

"Well, it is now," Sarada told him firmly. "Deal with it."

Boruto chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'll buy you a desk _and _a chair."

"You better," she told him warningly.

"Sure," he smiled without even realizing it. Conversations with her always made him do that.

"I promise," he told her.

* * *

After a long day of shopping and many, many sealing scrolls later, they finally arrived at the apartment, ready to start unpacking and organizing their many new things.

Boruto took out two sealing scrolls from his pocket and handed one to Himawari. "This is your and Sarada's clothes," he told his sister. "Mine is in this one," he pointed at the scroll in his hand.

Himawari nodded. "Alright, I'll go put them in our room," she walked to the hall with Hanabi and Sarada following her. Hanabi cheered. "Great! I'm dying to see your room and help you decorate it!" She exclaimed.

Boruto chuckled and went on to look inside the few bags they had. "Let's see here; cushions, blankets, pillows, pillow covers, toiletries, plates, utensils…" he took out each item he named, placing them on the table.

Neji looked amused. "Well, they sure were thorough with their spending," he noted.

"Yeah, and almost spent all of our money on this one trip," Boruto mumbled. "It's a good thing I stopped them when I did, otherwise they would have wasted all of our money and left nothing for us to buy food with."

"You could always ask us for money if you're in need," Neji looked like he was stating the obvious. "I'd be happy to help in any way possible."

Boruto smiled at his uncle. "Thanks, Neji-niisan,"

Neji blinked. "That's the first time you called me that," he noted.

"Huh? Yeah, I guess," if he was being honest, he hadn't noticed. "Is it bad?"

Neji shook his head. "No actually, I rather like it. It feels somewhat… right."

"Oh," Boruto didn't know what to do at that point. "Okay then."

A small silence settled between them, and Boruto realized how much he was relying on Himawari and Sarada to break the ice between him and his aunt and uncle. It's not that he was incapable of being social, but it seems that a few years with his master did have their impact on him as a whole, changing him from his demeanor to his social abilities. Who knew?

"So," Neji said, startling him. "Would you mind telling me more about Hinata-sama in your future?"

"You want to know about Mom?" Boruto gave it a thought for a second and nodded. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"How was she like?" Neji asked, leaning against the counter of the kitchen. "Did she still go on missions even after settling down? And Naruto, how did he treat her?"

"Well," Boruto busied his hands with going over the stuff they bought. "She used to go on missions when Dad was still at home, but after he became Hokage she stopped going on them all together so she could take care of us. She did start going on missions more after Himawari became twelve since we didn't need her constant presence. And as for how Dad treated her…" he sighed. "The guy was completely whipped. All he ever did was fuss over Mom or have her spoil him. It's like he turned into a kid whenever he was with her," he saw the expression on Neji's face and interpreted it as him not knowing how to react to what Boruto told him. He continued; "but, it's clear that they loved each other a lot, as disgusting as they acted." He hoped that made Neji happy. He wasn't sure he'd done a good job describing the relationship between his parents. To his surprise, Neji was smiling.

"So Naruto won't be dense forever," Neji said, looking rather relieved. "I thought I was going to need to beat him for him to notice the feelings Hinata-sama has for him."

"Wait, Mom is already in love with Dad in this time?" Boruto asked Neji, feeling unsettled by that knowledge.

"She is. Has since the academy, I think. why?" Neji seemed curious about Boruto's sudden distraught.

"That bastard!" Boruto was seething. "The old man told me he started dating Mom when he was 19!"

"19?!" Now Neji was angry as well. "He made Hinata-sama wait that long?!"

"Yeah!" Boruto clutched the chair's back tightly. "What the hell is wrong with him?!"

"I swear," Neji looked ready to go to war. "When he gets back from that training trip of his, I'm going to challenge him to a match and give him the beating of his life,"

"I second that," Boruto nodded. "Mind if I join in?"

"Not at all," Neji looked at Boruto. "I could use a partner."

There was a moment of silence before Boruto burst into laughter and Neji chuckled. It seems that when it came to protecting Hinata, both Boruto and Neji agreed. His uncle seemed a bit threatening to Boruto at first, his serious demeanor and older age making Boruto feel a bit uncomfortable, but in the end, Neji was truly a nice person.

"You're just like Mom said you would be," Boruto said quietly, almost to himself.

"What do you mean?" Neji looked at him from over the table.

"Uh," Boruto forgot that Neji didn't know about him dying in the future. "How you were when you were this age, I mean!"

"Oh," Neji seemed more settled. "What am I like in the future?"

Boruto tensed. "Well…" he let his eye wander over the room while his mind wrecked itself in search of an answer. He didn't want to lie to Neji, but at the same time, he didn't want to tell him he died, and Boruto never got the chance to meet hid future self. "You're definitely more… quiet. When Mom and Hima go visit you, they always bring you flowers, mostly sunflowers. Whenever Dad goes to see you he just stands there with you and talks for hours, and I'm pretty sure you're actually bored with everything he says, but I don't know, maybe you do like it."

"And what about you?" Neji asked. "How are we in the future?"

"Well, when I was younger, I didn't get why I had to come to visit you all the time with Mom, but she seemed to enjoy coming to see you, so I figured it can't be that bad. Mom used to tell me a lot of stories about you, so even though you didn't say much when we came to visit, it always felt like I know you enough so that we don't need to talk." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, that must sound weird to you, right?"

"Not at all," Neji smiled at him. "Believe it or not, I understand. My father… he wasn't the most talkative type, so most of our conversations were short. But even so, I still felt like I was close to him regardless. I suppose that is what family is all about, after all. Sometimes just being next to the other person is enough for you to feel connected."

Boruto felt a small smile of his own. "Yeah, I guess so,"

Footsteps from the hall had announced the presence of another person in the room. "Onii-chan, Neji-niisan!" Himawari called them. "Do you mind bringing those things to the hall so we can start to sort them out?"

"Sure," Boruto began grabbing a few sheets from the table. "We'll be right there."

"Great. Oh, and Onii-chan?" Himawari looked at him over her shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind also putting your clothes in your closet? It kinda makes me uncomfortable to see your underwear."

Boruto spluttered and almost dropped the sheets and blankets he was holding. "Himawari!"

She ran away from his wrath while giggling, and he knew that she only said that because she wanted to see his reaction to her statement, not because it made her uncomfortable.

"I suppose she does have a point, Boruto," Neji pointed out. "I don't believe a clothing's place in on a dining table."

"I know that!" Boruto felt his cheeks warming up at the comments from both his uncle and sister. He grabbed his clothes that he unsealed from the scroll only to go over and make sure he didn't miss anything in the store and placed them over the blankets and sheets he held in his arms.

"Right, let's go," Neji grabbed a few rolls of toilet paper and a bottle of liquid soup and made his way to the hall, Boruto following.

* * *

"Phew!" Hanabi stretched out her hands after placing a blanket in the almost-filled closet. "That was the last one!"

"You're done, Aunt Hanabi?" Boruto was just passing by the door to Sarada and Himawari's room when he heard her.

"Don't call me 'Aunt'!" Was Hanabi's angry reply.

"Alright, alright," Boruto sounded wary. "Yeesh."

"I'm done too!" Himawari chimed in. "Man, this was hard!"

"Yeah," Hanabi nodded. "You know what I could use after working so hard?"

"What?" Himawari asked, looking curious.

"A bath at a hot spring," Hanabi smiled. "Those are the best after a long day of hard work!"

Himawari's eyes shone. "A hot spring? I wanna go!" She almost whirled to Boruto. "Onii-chan, can I? Can I?"

Boruto looked appealed for a moment but tilted his head in thought for a second. "Sure," he said, and Himawari cheered. "The water is still not connected, and you never did get to shower after we arrived and you got stuck in the hospital."

"Yay!" Himawari jumped to her feet and opened the recently-organized closet to look for clothes to wear after the bath.

"I'll go ask Neji-niisan and Sarada-chan if they want to come with us," Hanabi said, getting to her feet. "What about you Boruto? Want to come too?"

Boruto shook his head. "I'll pass," he said. "I'll just take a shower when the water is connected. In the meanwhile, I'll go buy some food for dinner."

"Alright, though it's your loss." Hanabi passed him on her way to the kitchen and living room, where Sarada and Neji were giving each space the final touches.

"Neji-niisan, Sarada-chan," she called them both, making them stop their respective tasks and turn to look at her. "Me and Himawari are going to the hot springs, want to come with?"

Neji gave it a thought for a moment before nodding. "Yes, it has been a while since I last visited there. I was thinking it would be nice to go there soon."

"Great!" Hanabi clapped her hands enthusiastically. "What about you Sarada-chan?"

"I'll have to pass on the hot springs this time," Sarada said with a smile. "I'll just take a shower when the water gets connected."

Hanabi snorted. "That's exactly what Boruto said," she rolled her eyes. "Well aren't you two just soulmates?" She grinned teasingly at Sarada, who's cheeks were dusted lightly with pink. "W-what are you talking about?" Sarada stuttered, looking flustered.

"Oh, nothing," Hanabi smiled innocently at her while making a mental note about a new game she could play with her newly found nephew and his raven-haired friend. Oh, she's going to have fun…

"Shall we go, Hanabi-sama?" Neji asked her, bringing her out of her evil plotting.

"Just a moment, we're waiting for Himawari." She told her cousin.

"I'm here!" Himawari announced as she walked into the living room with Boruto. "Let's go!"

"Do you have everything you need?" Neji asked her, looking at the bundle in her arms. Himawari nodded. "Yup, I've got everything!"

"Then let's go!" Hanabi was about to run out the door before she stopped near Boruto.

"What is it?" Her nephew asked her.

"Well, since it's already evening, I won't be seeing you until tomorrow," Hanabi said, suddenly pulling him into a hug. She knew she must've startled him, hugging him so randomly, but she felt the urge to hold him. She wasn't blind. She knew how much sadness he was hiding behind his smile. She became pretty good at detecting that kind of thing after her sister began doing it when they were younger. She may not be able to fix the situation with her sister, but she sure as hell not letting it get to her nephew as well!

She felt Boruto awkwardly pat her head and wanted to burst out laughing. It must look pretty odd, since her head only reached his chest, and he was holding her in some sort of half a hug, but she didn't care.

After another thirty seconds of hugging, she released the blonde and stepped back, a smile on her face. "Alright, let's go!"

"Right…" Neji seemed rather surprised by her sudden hugging mood but said nothing.

"Yeah, let's go!" Himawari clutched the bundle closer to her chest in excitement. "I want to get there before the sun sets."

"Then we should hurry," Hanabi concluded. "See you tomorrow, Sarada-chan, Boruto!" She waved to them both as she wore her shoes and placed her hand on the handle of the door. "Let's go, Neji-niisan, Himawari."

They both finished wearing their shoes and stood up, ready to go. "Yeah!"

Boruto waved to them. "Hima, don't come back too late. I don't know how to make dinner. And Neji-niisan, keep an eye on her, will you?"

Neji nodded. "Of course,"

"I'm not a kid, Onii-chan!" Himawari pouted about her brother's worrying face.

"Yes you are," Boruto told her. "Don't be late!"

"Sure!" Hanabi opened the door and held it open for her cousin and niece. "We're off!"

And with that, they closed the door behind them and left.

* * *

Boruto groaned at his aching shoulders as he unlocked the door to the apartment and pushed it open with his foot. Both his hands were occupied with plastic bags from the convenience store and packed-full of ingredients.

"I'm back!" He called out into the empty entryway.

The quiet that answered back to him made him concerned. Sarada was in the apartment, and yet he didn't hear her answer him. Kicking off his shoes and walking to the kitchen, he scoured the place with his eye in search of his friend, but she wasn't in the living room or at the dining table.

_She might be in her room,_ Boruto figured. Placing the ingredients in their respective places, he decided to go see what Sarada was up to before starting to cook. He could probably use her help since he was a decent cook at best.

Knocking on her door, he waited for an answer and an invitation to come in, yet none came. Hesitantly opening the door himself, he was surprised to see that the room was empty. The bathroom door wasn't closed either, so Sarada couldn't be there…

So where _was _she?

* * *

**A/N: **Hello, I am in trouble since I didn't write chapter 10 yet and I'm falling behind. Forgive me? In other news, we just hit 70 followers? How?! I'm so happy so many of you liked this fic so far! If you'd like to review this or any other chapter, I usually answer everything within 24 hours, so if you have a question or a comment, shoot.

Also, I got a question that I didn't address yet so I guess I should now; this story happens during the Shippuden part of Naruto. Naruto is 15(and a half, sort of?), Sakura and Sasuke, as well as Boruto and Sarada are 16. Himawari is 14. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings you had.

Please review and tell me what you think!

Thank you for reading!


	10. Guilt and Regret

**Disclaimer: I can't think of anything witty to write. Kishimoto, Naruto, ownership, nope.**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 10: Guilt and Regret**

* * *

The way to the bathhouse was filled with chatter between Hanabi and Himawari, and Neji commenting on some things once in a while.

Himawari and Neji's sandals hit the ground in rhythm together with Hanabi's traditional shoes, the light of the late afternoon sun casting a growing shadow behind them as they walked.

Arriving at the bathhouse, they had to split up, with Neji going to the men's side and Himawari and Hanabi going to the women's side.

Placing her belongings inside the basket intended for them, Himawari tightened her hold over the towel covering her body and walked to the bath where Hanabi was already soaking in. She sat on the small stool and washed her hair, running her fingers through her tangled midnight locks and feeling all the grim from the past few days was off to the floor, leaving the remains of the attack on her home inside her memories and healing wounds. She tried to think of the time before that dark day when she was young and didn't understand the world as well as she does now. Her hair had grown quite long since that time, and the count of life lessons she had accumulated since then had grown as well. Many adults used to tell her and her brother that they'll understand things when they are older, and while she knew they were older than before, she knew that was probably not the age their parents had in mind when they told them that. Boruto, especially, was taking things much worse than she did. He had a bad habit of blaming himself for the misery of everyone around him, a habit he developed over the years after the Momoshiki incident. Himawari and Hinata were always a little worried about that particular trait of him, but it seems that he was getting better for a while… until he didn't anymore.

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Himawari entered the bath and sat down next to Hanabi, soaking in the warmth of the water. She sighed contently, closing her eyes in concentrating on the sensation of the steam from the water clinging to her skin, moisturizing it. Cleansing her from the past.

"So… Himawari," Hanabi's voice penetrated her quiet bubble. "Ever had a boyfriend?"

Himawari sputtered, her eyes shot open and her face heated up even more than they already were. "What?!"

"Did you have a boyfriend?" Hanabi repeated the question in the tone of an adult explaining a simple matter to a child.

"I- well," Himawari wasn't sure how to answer the question. Of course, she never had a boyfriend. But still, it was rather embarrassing admitting that to an eleven-year-old, her aunt or not.

Biting her lower lip, she felt her cheeks redden more as she shook her head. "No, I… never had a boyfriend before."

Hanabi gave her a catty smirk and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "So no first kiss then?"

Himawari sunk lower into the water in an attempt to hide her embarrassment and didn't answer. She didn't know how to. And what was it with the questioning?

"Anyway," Hanabi changed the subject without seeming to notice Himawari's red face. "I was wondering, why do you call me Aunt, but you call Neji Niisan?"

Himawari considered her question for a moment before rising from the water. "Well," she leaned back on the wall of the bathhouse. "In our time, we usually call you Nee-chan because you don't like being called Obaa-san. But Onii-chan and I think it'll be weird to call someone younger than us Nee-chan or Obaa-san, so Aunt seems like a good fit."

Hanabi nodded in understanding. "That's smart. I don't think I'd like being called Obaasan, like, at all." She laughed slightly at the word, but her laughter soon died down, a frown developing on her face. She grabbed both sides of her head and drew her knees closer to her, making some discomfort noises. Himawari cast a worried look at the girl, hesitantly placing a hand on her bareback and rubbing it slowly. "Are you okay?" She asked Hanabi worriedly.

Hanabi made a face that indicated she was struggling with something painful and squirmed uncomfortably on the bath floor. "Aunt Hanabi?" Himawari didn't understand what was happening to her young aunt.

Hanabi's eyes widened at her voice, and she gasped for air as if she was underwater for a long time. Coughing, Hanabi's body shook as she tried to breathe normally again. Slowly, the coughing settled and Hanabi removed her hands from her head and allowed her body to relax, breath a bit staggering. She looked at Himawari with a somewhat wandering gaze, as if she's trying to pinpoint a certain thing in her face. It was like she was trying to recognize her.

"Say, Himawari..." Hanabi began, biting her lip nervously. "...When you were younger, you didn't happen to have short hair, did you?"

Himawari blinked at the sudden question. "I… did, why?"

Hanabi looked as if Himawari had just confirmed her suspicions. "Then that was…" she whispered.

"What was what?" Himawari asked her, concerned.

"I just saw something odd," Hanabi shook her head. "No, it was more like I was remembering something…"

Himawari was getting curious. What did Hanabi mean? "Remembering something?"

"Yeah," Hanabi examined her with a thorough look. "I think… I remembered you."

* * *

_"Hanabi-neechan!" _

_Hanabi turned to look at who was calling her and saw a small girl with short black hair running towards her. She felt herself smile at the sight, although she didn't understand why. Bending down, she opened her arms and allowed the girl to run straight into them, embracing her. The girl looked up at Hanabi, smiling at her with two bright blue eyes shining._

_"Hanabi-neechan, guess what, guess what!" The girl asked excitedly of Hanabi._

_"What is it?" Hanabi picked up the girl in her arms and raised to stand. The girl couldn't be more than four years old._

_"I did the whole kata!" The little girl giggled, her voice filled with pride. "Grandpa said I did great!"_

_Hanabi felt pride and adoration filling her, though she didn't understand why. Who was this girl, and why was she so familiar? The house she was in was the Hyūga manor, so why couldn't she ever recall something like this happening to her in her own home? _

_"That's great!" She heard herself say to the girl in her arms as she walked down the hall. "I'm really proud of you, Hima."_

_It was like someone hit her chest with a hammer and made it fold inside itself. Himawari. This girl is Himawari._

_Younger Himawari giggled and smiled up at her, though when she opened her mouth to say something, an older-sounding voice came out instead; _"Aunt Hanabi?"

Hanabi gasped for air, feeling like she had been pulled out from underwater by force. Her dazy state lasted only a mere second before the need to cough overcame her and she whizzed for air in between coughs. Her thoughts were all over the place, barely staying intact for her to make sense of.

Slowly, she regained composure, trying to calm her breaths and releasing her tense position. The memory of the bit she saw was flooding her brain, and she spent a moment to analyze it properly. She was definitely in her home in the memory, or at least what she assumed was a memory. If the girl that ran towards her was Himawari, and she was that young, then maybe… she glanced at Himawari and tried to imagine her with short hair.

_Only one way to determine, _Hanabi thought to herself. "Say, Himawari," Hanabi begun, biting her lip nervously. She had a feeling she was right about this, but she needed to confirm it first. "When you were younger, you didn't happen to have short hair, did you?"

Himawari blinked at the sudden question. "I… did, why?"

Hanabi's eyes widened as realization hit her. It seems she was right after all. "Then that was…" she whispered. She really did see Himawari as a child. But how?

"What was what?" Himawari asked her, concerned.

"I just saw something odd," Hanabi shook her head. "No, it was more like I was remembering something…"

Himawari tilted her head curiously. "Remembering something?"

"Yeah," Hanabi examined her with a thorough look. "I think… I remembered you."

Himawari frowned. "Remembered me? But how can that happen?"

"I don't know," Hanabi was no less confused than Himawari at the moment. "All I know is that it was like I had some sort of a flashback, and I saw a younger you running to me. I think you told me about a kata you learned."

"Are you sure that's what you saw?" Himawari asked her. She had one hand running through a lock of her hair like she was measuring the length of it. Perhaps the conversation is reminding her of the time her hair was shorter.

"Pretty sure," Hanabi nodded. "You called me Nee-chan, Hanabi-neechan."

Himawari's eyes widened in surprise. "That's how we usually call you in our time," she looked as confused as Hanabi felt. "But how did you see that?"

"I don't know…" Hanabi felt frustrated. This made no sense.

_But it's not like time travel makes perfect sense either, _a voice in her head interjected.

She couldn't argue with that. Time travel made absolutely no sense to her, and even though she guessed that in theory, there might be a few ways to make it happen, she never heard or read anything that even mentions it. Maybe one of the side effects of time travel is that people who interact with the time travelers get some of the memories of their future selves? Maybe it was something else? She couldn't understand it, and it annoyed her. Hyūgas aren't supposed to feel overwhelmed and slow. They were the mighty clan of the Hyūga, home of the Byakugan. She was supposed to be the head of the clan when she grows up and was educated accordingly. So why couldn't any of the knowledge in her brain help her with this?

"Well, whatever it is, it doesn't matter," Himawari said, quick to dismiss the entire thing, surprising Hanabi. She tightened the towel around her body and slowly rose from the bath. "I think I'm done here." Himawari declared.

"Wait," Hanabi hurriedly followed Himawari out of the bath, tying her own towel around her as she walked behind her niece. "Why doesn't it matter?"

Himawari turned to her. "Because, I don't think you need the memories from your future self," she then smiled at Hanabi, and it was the same smile the four-year-old Himawari smiled at her in her memory. "Past or future, you're my Aunt Hanabi, so the bond between us is something that doesn't need memories of times we spent together in the future to work."

Hanabi stared at Himawari in surprise. Himawari had just accepted Hanabi as part of her family as if it was nothing and now claimed that she didn't care if Hanabi remembered her or not, because their bond is stronger than that. A surge of pride welled up in her chest, so she crossed the room to Himawari and hugged the girl, a hug that Himawari was quick to return.

"I'm glad," Himawari said as she gently retracted herself from Hanabi's grasp. "Past or future, your hugs are still the same." She smiled at Hanabi and went on to begin put on her clothes. Hanabi was left staring at Himawari, and something bugged her. Reaching for her clothes, she wore them quietly as she mulled over the question she had for Himawari.

"Say, " Hanabi decided to ask the girl next to her as they were placing the last garments of clothes on them. "Aren't you sad about your village? And your family?"

Himawari froze and looked at Hanabi with total shock. Seeing the expression on Himawari's face, Hanabi almost regretted asking that question. It was too personal. She was about to retake her words but before she could, a sad, almost heartbroken smile etched to Himawari's features and her bright eyes seemed to have dimmed although the light in the bathhouse was strong.

"Of course I'm sad," Himawari said quietly, the broken look she must have fought so hard to hide not leaving her face. "But Onii-chan and Sarada are just as sad as me, maybe even more. And if I complained, it'll just be an insult to all of those who sacrificed their lives so that we can live." Hanabi saw small water droplets gathering at the corners of Himawari's eyes and rushed to her, using a towel to gently wipe them away before they fell.

"I'm sorry," Himawari choked out, straining not to cry.

"Sorry for what?" Hanabi continued to wipe Himawari's cheeks from any trace of water trails. "The water from your damp hair is just falling into your eyes, nothing else."

Himawari managed to send her half a smile, and Hanabi gave her a crooked one in return.

She understood Himawari's reasoning, but no one should repress their hurt. Her father had repressed his sadness over his brother's death and took it out on the people of the clan, and Neji repressed his anger and took it out on Hinata. Repressing pain only created more pain from what she knew. Biting back her words, Hanabi resolved to tell Boruto about Himawari's feelings soon. She felt like it wasn't her place to intervene just yet, though she hoped that one day it will be.

"Anyways," Hanabi decided to change the subject. "Neji-niisan is probably done by now so let's not keep him waiting for too long, so shall we?" She offered Himawari her hand.

Himawari smiled at her and nodded, taking her hand. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Boruto walked back to the living room area, searching for Sarada. She wasn't in her room, nor was she in the kitchen either. He was getting worried. Where could she have gone?

"Sarada?" He called out her name, straining his ears for an answer. He almost missed it, but he was sure he heard a low voice answering from behind him. Turning around, he noticed that the door to the balcony was slightly agar, and sighed in relief. She must've gone out for some air.

Walking out to the balcony, he prepared a lecture in his head. "Do you know how worried I've been?" He asked her while closing the door behind him. "I come home and see you're not there, you almost gave me a heart attack, -ttebasa."

There was no response from her, as she kept on staring forward. "Sarada?" Boruto walked closer to her. "Is everything okay?"

Sarada's head turned to him, tears brimming in her eyes. "Nothing's okay!" She yelled at him, startling him into taking a step back. "We're stuck in the past, for God's sake! I have no idea how we even got here, nor what we're going to do next, and what about our parents' younger selves? Do we even talk with them? Will we cause some sort of paradox or something? Or-" her stream of words was cut unexpectedly as she choked another cry and clenched her hands on the rails. "I just… I feel so lost, Boruto." She said in a quieter voice, sounding broken.

Boruto's heart almost broke at her words. He understood how she felt, waiting for the moment when the shoe will drop and he'll be able to grasp the fact that they were in the _actual _past and break down. He hated seeing Sarada like this. She was usually so strong and confident, it was sometimes hard to see she was a very emotionally vulnerable person. He stood next to her, holding onto the rails as well, as he watched the sunset, the sky filling with many shades of red and gold.

"What's this really about?" He asked her quietly. Next to him, she momentarily stiffened, but relaxed after a few seconds, knowing he wasn't asking that from a place of accusation, but rather a place of concern.

"...When we were buying bed sheets today," she began, her voice almost a whisper. "I remembered that Mama wanted to buy new sheets on her next day off. She said we'll have a girls' shopping trip. She was supposed to get off work that day, but when the attack happened, we heard the hospital's been hit, so she ran to help and told me to run to safety… but I couldn't, so I followed her. But then…" her voice broke, and she was shaking as tears were streaming down her face once again. Boruto understood the rest of the story without her explaining. He was on the other side of the village at the time, but even there he could hear the loud explosion that destroyed the hospital and its surroundings.

"So when you were buying sheets earlier, it brought back memories?" Boruto asked her, not breaking his gaze from the sky. He knew that if he looked at her crying it would make her feel uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Sarada emitted while wiping her tears. "It's just… there are so many things I wish I could have done with her. Going shopping, taking that vacation she always wanted to go on, going on a family mission together with Papa…" her voice became softer as she mentioned her father. "I wanted her to help me pick out my dress when I got married…" she added in a low voice, so quiet Boruto almost didn't hear.

She sniffed. "I know it's silly," she said, sounding embarrassed.

"It's not," Boruto told her firmly.

"Huh?"

"It's not silly," Boruto repeated himself, tearing his gaze from the sky and looking into her eyes. "It's okay to feel that way. To have regrets, I mean. You lost her barely four days ago. You're allowed to grief, Sarada."

Her eyes filled with tears once again, and she fell into his arms, clinging to his shirt as she cried, her body shaking. Boruto held onto her, one hand supporting her head and one rubbing her back soothingly. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in its scent. He was close to breaking down too, though he had a feeling his meltdown would involve a lot more sharp objects and screaming, and maybe some violence. But right now, he had to be there for Sarada. Be a rock she can lean on. A refuge for her to confide her hurt.

After a while, he felt Sarada calm down and loosened his hold on her in case she'd want to leave the hug, but she didn't. She stayed in his arms, clinging to his shirt almost stubbornly. She wasn't crying anymore, but her face was still buried in his chest. Guessing she probably wants some more comfort, he resumed the hug, holding her close and placing his chin on top of her head, looking straight ahead.

"Boruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you… miss them? Or regret something?"

That caught him off guard. He was prepared for her to ask him to let her go, not for her to ask him about his feelings. But she was honest with him, so he should respect that and respond honestly as well.

"I regret never telling my Dad I love him," Boruto admitted.

Sarada pulled back enough so she could look him in the eye with surprise. "Really?"

Boruto uncomfortably avoided her gaze and let his eye stare somewhere beyond her head. He heard her let out a breathy chuckle before she re-embraced him. "I'm sure he knew," she told him, her cheek against his chest.

"You're probably right, but I never got to tell him myself, and it hurts," Boruto remembered all the times he could have stopped his dad for a moment and tell him those three simple words, and how each time he would back out on the last moment, thinking there's always next time. After Momoshiki had taken his father prisoner and everyone was sure that the Hokage was dead, Boruto kept thinking he shouldn't have acted spoiled and bratty, how he should have just told his father what he wanted. Even after they got Naruto back, Boruto still didn't say anything, and the longer he waited, the harder it got.

_Stupid pride, _he thought sadly.

"You'll see him again eventually," Sarada walked backwards, entangling herself out of the hug and smiling at him. "Just make sure to tell him then."

Boruto gave her a small of his own before leaning his elbows on the rails. She joined him, and they just stood in silence, basking in the lasting light of the sun, as she almost disappeared. Sarada leaned her head against his arm, and he felt his heart begin to flutter, but kept his gaze onwards.

"Hey, Boruto?" Sarada's voice sounded hesitant. He turned to her and noticed that her cheeks looked like they were dusted with pink powder, though it could just be the light from the sunset.

"Yeah?"

Sarada bit her lip nervously. "I… I think that-" "I'm back!" Himawari's voice penetrated the bubble they were in, startling both of them and making them jump a few feet away from each other.

"What are you guys doing here?" Himawari's head poked out of the door to the apartment.

"Nothing!" They said in unison, both of their faces flushed. Sarada hurriedly moved past Himawari into the living room and left Boruto and Himawari outside.

"...did something happen between you two?" Himawari asked him.

"No, nothing happened." He told her, wondering why that felt like a lie. She was definitely about to say something important, but he shouldn't think that it has anything to do with romance, otherwise his heart might explode.

"O...kay," Himawari still seemed suspicious, but at least she was pushing him to talk. "Anyway, I saw that you brought food, so I'll cook dinner."

Boruto nodded. "Alright, I'll be right there."

She went back in, closing the door behind her. Now that she was gone, Boruto leaned against the wall of the apartment and slid down into crouching, groaning. Both his hands covered his flushed face.

"Ahhhhh," he felt so conflicted. "Who knew feelings were this confusing?" He asked the sky. "Dad, if this is your doing, some weird afterlife joke on my expense, dead or not I swear I'm going to beat you up."

He waited for a moment for some reaction, but got none. Getting up from crouching, he opened the door next to him and walked back in. Sarada was not in the living room or the kitchen, but he heard the water running from the bathroom, so he presumed that she went to take a shower now that the water was connected. Himawari was in the kitchen, cutting vegetables and adding them to an already boiling pot on the stove.

"Want some help?" He leaned on the counter and watched her stirring another pot with some red sauce in it. Himawari shook her head. "You already cooked us breakfast, Onii-chan. Now it's my turn to make dinner."

Boruto shrugged. "If you say so," he grabbed a slice of tomato from the pile she already chopped and placed it in his mouth.

A knock on the front door stopped Himawari's angry reprimand, and he hurried to get the door before she'll catch him.

Opening the door, he was met with Tsunade herself, who stood with a hand on her hip and a relaxed expression. "'Sup kid?"

"Granny?" Boruto blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"By 'here', do you mean 'the place I rented and currently own' here?" Tsunade asked him, rolling her eyes.

"Right, right," Boruto didn't know what he was expecting from her. He opened wide the door moved to the side so she could pass. "Want to come in?"

"Well, duh," Tsunade said clinically but walked in. She removed her heels at the genkan and moved to the living room. Boruto closed the door and followed her in.

"Granny Tsunade!" Himawari was surprised to see the Hokage standing in the kitchen.

"I came to visit," Tsunade told the girl with a smile. "Hope that's not a problem."

"Not at all," Himawari smiled brightly. "I was just in the middle of making dinner. Would you like to join us?"

Tsunade shrugged and sat on one of the stools next to the counter. "Why not. I haven't eaten yet, and it's usually best to eat before you drink so that the sake wouldn't be alone in your stomach."

"...right," Himawari shook her head and went back to work. "Onii-chan," she called Boruto. "Can you please set the table?"

Boruto nodded and started taking out the new utensils and plates they bought today from their new places in the cupboards and drawers. The sound of running water from the bathroom stopped, meaning that Sarada was done with her shower. Boruto placed the stack of plates on the table and started to divide them into all four seats. The bathroom door opened and closed, seconds later another door in the hallway opened and closed, so Boruto assumed Sarada was out of the bathroom.

"Onii-chan, go take a shower before dinner," Himawari told him. "You haven't bathed yet and you're kinda stinky."

Boruto wrinkled his nose at her calling him stinky but complied anyway. Nodding to Tsunade and making his way to the bathroom. He bumped into Sarada in the hallway when she was coming out of her room, now dressed in black shorts and a white t-shirt.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized to him. He waved her apology off, not feeling it was worth the words. "Who was at the door?"

"Granny Tsunade," he told her. "She's staying for dinner."

"Tsunade-sama is here?" Sarada's eyes got slightly wider. "This is great! I wanted to ask her if I could start an internship at the hospital."

"I guess that is like you," Boruto cocked his head to the side. "Just as long as you don't overwork yourself and I need to carry you back home all the time."

"I won't!" Sarada said with a slight blush. He chuckled, knowing that he managed to get under her skin. "Yeah, yeah," Boruto said, turning to go to the bathroom for his shower, but she grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Uh, Boruto?" She looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for earlier," she said, shifting under his gaze. "That really helped me."

Boruto blinked for a moment and smiled. "Sure thing," he told her. "I'll always be there for you, what are teammates for?"

She tensed at his words but didn't do anything else to indicate something was wrong, so he brushed it off. Turning to the bathroom again, he made his way to the door this time, and walked in, leaving Sarada standing in the hall.

* * *

Tsunade sat at the counter stool and watched Himawari as she worked. The girl was formidable in the kitchen, knowing what she was doing and not checking the food she was preparing even once, as she was so sure of ability she cooked only on intuition.

Tsunade could barely cook to save her life, so she respected the young girl for being so talented at such a young age.

"Say," Tsunade leaned back on the counter. "Where'd you learn to cook like this?"

"Oh, I learned that from Mama," Himawari said in a cheery tone while steering the broth of the soup she was making. "I never went to the academy, so I stayed at home a lot with her and she taught how to cook and clean instead."

"You didn't go to the academy?" Tsunade was intrigued. From her physic, Tsunade had assumed the girl was a shinobi. She had the right lean and flexible body, as well as the light footsteps a trained shinobi displayed like a second-nature. "I was sure you were a kunoichi."

Himawari smiled at her. "Oh, I am," she told the very confused Tsunade.

"But then, how…" Tsunade didn't understand how Himawari could be a kunoichi without going to the academy. Was the future Konoha that loose on rules?

"Well, it helps to have a dad as the Hokage," Himawari giggled. "He had one of his assistants train me until they decided I was good enough to go on missions."

"Wait, back up for a second," Tsunade raised her hand to signal the girl to stop. "Naruto's the Hokage?"

Himawari blinked and looked surprised at Tsunade's shock. "Yeah, he's been the Hokage ever since I was three."

Tsunade sat in silence as she processed this new information. She couldn't believe it. Well, she could believe it but she still had trouble fathoming it. Naruto was the Hokage in the future. The brat who, from what she heard, was going around declaring he's going to be Hokage ever since the academy, actually becoming one. "So he managed to achieve his dream in the end…" she whispered to herself with a soft smile. She was happy for the blonde knucklehead. He did what most people never get too. He never gave up on his dream and achieved his goal. Tsunade felt her heart filling with pride, and her smile got wider. When he gets back from his trip with Jiraiya, she's going to take him out for ramen to celebrate the first chance she gets, even if he won't understand why they're celebrating yet.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of footsteps behind her and turned to see Sarada enter the kitchen.

"Ah, Sarada," Himawari barely took her eyes off her task of peeling potatoes at an alarming speed. "Do you mind watching the soup while I work on this?"

"Sure," Sarada went up to the stove to attend the boiling pot. Tsunade examined the girl thoroughly. She was the daughter of Tsunade's pupil and an Uchiha. The potential for this girl was formidable, with Sakura's almost-perfect chakra control and the Uchiha genes. If Sakura had taught Sarada in the future how to be a medic, the girl would probably be one of the best out there.

"Sarada," the girl jumped at Tsunade's voice, most likely having been lost in thoughts.

"Yes? What is it, Tsunade-sama?" Sarada pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Did Sakura ever teach you medical ninjutsu?" Tsunade was curious if her student ever passed down her legacy.

"Yes, she did," Sarada went back to watch the pot. "I've been meaning to speak to you about it."

"Oh?"

"I wanted to ask you if I could become an intern at the hospital," Sarada said, tone and body language radiating seriousness. Tsunade could tell she was set on her request.

"I don't know…" Tsunade mulled over Sarada's request. "Even if Sakura was training you, even if she got better in the future I still don't know how much of her skills improved and how."

"In my time, Mama has the Byakugō no In," Sarada said, stunning Tsunade. Sakura has achieved the 100 Healings Seal? "She taught me everything she knows and put me through all the training you did with her. She was working with me so I can achieve the Byakugō too, but she never got to finish our training…"

_Oh,_ Tsunade realized. Sakura died before she could help Sarada achieve the Byakugō. She could almost see the sadness that was radiating from the Uchiha girl. Sarada said that Sakura had put her through the same training Tsunade herself made Sakura do. If that's the case, then Sakura was fully prepared to teach Sarada the fourth clause of a medic-nin. Knowing she might regret what she's about to do, Tsunade went through with it and asked: "Sarada," the girl looked up at her. "How would you like to be my pupil instead?"

* * *

The hot water running over his body felt great. Washing away all of the dust, soot, and sweat that clung to his skin. Boruto scrubbed his body clean with the soup, and then washed his hair with shampoo for good measure. Being a bit dirty never really bothered him, but at the prospect of being freed from the stickiness and dirt that were stuck to him ever since the battle in his time, Boruto practically jumped into the shower.

It's not like the shower could just wash away his feelings and the bad memories, but Boruto sure wished it could. It has been almost five days since it happened, yet it still felt like he was reliving that nightmare over and over again. The screams, the explosions, the sounds of weapons hitting each other and the cries of those who have lost the battle. He still felt like he was about to wake up any second to realize none of this was real, but just a really bad dream. That his mother and father were still alive, waiting for him to wake up and go downstairs so that they could eat breakfast together before his father went to the office and Boruto and Himawari went out on their respective missions.

He acted as if everything was fine, but he felt like an empty shell inside. Walking around like a ghost and looking for something that he knew he could no longer reach. The three of them all dealt with it differently, Himawari choosing to focus on the task at hand and not face the situation, Sarada letting her feelings build up until she can no longer hold them back and then collapse, and him, who is so afraid of his own emotions he no longer allows himself feel them.

_In the end, I'm just a coward. _Boruto thought to himself bitterly.

Turning off the stream of the water from the showerhead, Boruto grabbed his towel and wiped his body with it. Standing in front of the mirror, he dried his hair while staring at his reflection. The face that stared back at him was of a young blonde man with a scar that sealed his right eye shut, and stretched from just below his eyebrow to his cheek. Two birthmarks in the shape of whiskers were decorating each side of his face, and a lone blue eye that definitely was _not _about to be filled with tears. Nope. Not happening.

Looking around him, Boruto noticed that he forgot to take some clean clothes from his room. Sighing, he wrapped his hips with the towel and opened the bathroom door to a crack, checking to see if there is anyone in the hall. Confirming the coast is clear, he quickly snuck into his bedroom, closing the door behind him as quietly as he could. Opening his now-filled closet, he fumbled around until he managed to grab a t-shirt and shorts who looked comfortable enough.

The scent of Himawari's cooking filtered from under the door, making his mouth water. Himawari was an incredible cook, second only to their mother. When their father was in the office and their mother was on missions, Himawari used to cook for both of them before they left for their missions.

After getting dressed, he walked out of the room into the kitchen, where he found his sister, friend, and the Hokage sitting around the table having a lively chat.

"Sorry it took me long," Boruto pulled the chair next to Sarada and sat down. "What's up?"

"Tsunade-sama offered me to become her student!" Sarada informed him excitedly.

"Really?" Boruto sent a questioning look to Tsunade, who nodded while taking a sip from her cup. Boruto hoped it was water, though it was always hard to tell when it came to Tsunade. She could drink double the amount it takes to get a normal person drunk and still walk a straight line.

"That's great, Sarada," Boruto smiled at his teammate, who in return blushed slightly and smiled back at him. His throat feeling parched all of a sudden, he grabbed his cup and took a sip out of it just as Tsunade turned to Himawari and asked; "So, how long do those two have a thing for each other?"

Boruto choked on his water and began coughing, and Sarada spluttered. His face felt hot, and his eye was running all over the room but pointedly avoiding meeting Sarada's. Himawari and Tsunade laughed at their reaction, and Boruto could have sworn he saw them exchange a high five, but it was hard to tell whether it was true since it all happened under ten seconds and he was still choking on air and water.

"Oh, I'm going to have fun with you two," Tsunade told them, shoulders shaking from her visible urge to laugh out loud again.

"Great…" Boruto mumbled and grabbed his chopsticks. _This won't be like hell at all!_ He bitterly thought. Maybe it's time he'd change the subject. "Welp, time to eat! Thank you for the meal, Himawari." He clapped his hands in a quick prayer and dug in, determined to finish the dinner, and his humiliation, as quickly as possible.

Himawari giggled, but took her chopsticks as well, saying a much proper prayer before starting to eat, Tsunade and Sarada following suit. The rest of dinner was filled with lively chatter led by Himawari, who could talk about forks for an hour and still have more to say, Sarada and Tsunade bonding over medical knowledge and stories about Sarada's mother, and Boruto interjecting once in a while when he had something to contribute to the topic. The dinner Himawari cooked slowly disappeared from the plates, eaten by the four of them. Boruto was full, licking his lips for the remaining flavor of the fish Himawari made. Himawari got up and started fussing over making tea for everyone, though Sarada politely declined hers. She was putting the dishes in the sink. Himawari served Tsunade and Boruto their tea, apologizing to Tsunade for being a bad host but claiming she was going to bed early since the day had been pretty draining.

"I understand," Tsunade said, placing her cup down. "Make sure to get plenty of rest, you're not fully recovered yet, and you shouldn't strain yourself."

Himawari nodded. "I will, thank you," she smiled at Tsunade. "I really enjoyed having you here today, so if you ever want to, come eat dinner here."

Tsunade blinked and seemed surprised, but nodded. "Sure thing kiddo," she ruffled Himawari's hair. "Honestly, with the way you cook, it's a wonder how someone still hasn't asked you to marry them."

Himawari's cheeks turned slightly red to Boruto's annoyance. "And no one ever will, if it was up to me," He interjected, sipping on his tea. "I'm not just going to let anyone get close to my little sister."

"Onii-chan!" Himawari's embarrassment was evident, and he snickered. He beckoned her with his arm, and she walked over to him, bending down and giving him an awkward hug.

"Goodnight, Hima," he whispered in her ear before letting her go, grabbing his cup and drumming his fingers on it slowly.

"Goodnight, Sarada, Granny!" Himawari bid them goodnight cheerfully as she made her way to her room. Boruto heard Tsunade mumble that she "ain't no one's grandma" and chuckled. It was obvious the Hokage liked Himawari, and Boruto was already planning how to use it against her since her comment about him and Sarada.

"Then, I think I'm going to crash for the night as well," Sarada said, wiping her hands with a table cloth. "Tsunade-sama, thank you again for taking me as your student." She thanked Tsunade with a bow. "I won't disappoint you."

"I know you won't," Tsunade said, though her face was serious. "Sarada, if you're my student, that means you'll also come in contact with _her _a lot. Do you think you can handle it?

Sarada paused for a second and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Tsunade with determination. "Yes, I can. I promise."

"Good, you start tomorrow morning," Tsunade nodded. "I'll have to start thinking of some fake names for you all."

"How does one ties to the other?" Boruto was intrigued.

"Well, you can't go around with your names." Tsunade rolled her eyes. "While Uzumaki is at the very least plausible, how do you think people are going to react when Sarada tells them she's an Uchiha?"

"Good point," Boruto felt embarrassed he hadn't thought of that.

"Idiot," Sarada giggled.

"_Goodnight, _Sarada," Boruto aimed a pointed look at her, and she chuckled at his lack of discretion, but nodded to Tsunade and sent half a smile to Boruto, making her way to her bedroom, leaving Boruto and Tsunade alone.

They heard the sound of Sarada and Himawari's bedroom door open and close, and then there was silence for a few moments, Boruto sipping his tea and Tsunade staring into space before she decided to speak up. "Do you want me to go ahead and start the process of registering you as shinobi?" The Hokage asked him.

Boruto smiled somewhat tiredly. "Maybe at a later date, but for now, I think it might be best for us to get used to living here and settle down before considering it."

Tsunade nodded. "Very well," she looked at him from the corner of her eye. "You know, you're awfully mature for your age."

"Isn't there a saying 'old enough to kill, old enough to drink'?" Boruto asked her, raising an eyebrow. "I always thought it should be; 'old enough to kill, old enough'."

Tsunade raised her cup to her lips. "You've got a dark point there, kid," she pointed out.

"Well I don't feel like sunny and rainbows, so yeah," Boruto shrugged.

"Well, I don't think I'd trust someone always happy and carefree. Those people are idiots." Tsunade said to him, chugging the rest of her tea and placing it on the table before getting up from her chair.

"That's harsh, don't you think?" Boruto asked her, staring down at his tea.

"It's a harsh world we live in," Tsunade told him, making him look up at her. "Look, kid," she leaned her hand on the table. "You're not in your time anymore, and I don't know how it goes then, but here, we're at war."

"War?" Boruto focused all of his attention on her.

"Maybe not a full-blown war with clear sides, but I promise you we're not friendly with our neighbors either. People die here like flies, whether we like it or not. That's the harsh reality, take it or leave it."

Boruto nodded, sending her half a smile. "I just finished a war four days ago," he reminded her. "Can you blame me for not wanting to jump into another one?"

"I can't blame you," Tsunade said turning her back to him and walking out of the kitchen. "But I can't say I understand you either. This is Konoha, and even if it's not your time, if we don't exist now, then your Konoha doesn't exist either. That's all."

Boruto stared at her back until it disappeared in the hallway. Hearing the sound of heels walking out of the door and it closes, leaving him in the dark. he stared into space, thoughts floating in his head without being able to be heard to him. Tsunade's words hit him hard, and he couldn't hear anything but his heartbeat.

"This is not my Konoha," he whispered into the emptiness.

_My home is gone._

* * *

**A/N: **Hey everyone, we're at chapter 10! have large plans for this fic, but the top of my list is to finish this arc.

Something about the characters' personalities I wanted to clarify, I know they might come across as a bit too OOC, but it's only this way because I am shooting in the dark when it comes to how they're going to act in three years from now in their time. In both the anime in and manga, they are 13 and 10. You try to age those characters for almost 4 years and then tell me they won't act at least a bit different.

I tried my best to base Boruto on the glimpse of him we see during his battle with Kawaki, and I imagine he'd be sort of a combination between himself and a little Sasuke-like matureness. He was calm and collected during his battle, but I didn't want him to lose all of his personality and create an edgy teenager. Nope. Not happening. For Himawari and Sarada it's a bit more difficult, but I do my best so that every action they take or thought they have has an explanation. I take a great interest in how characters process things, so I try to give you insight into how they cope with everything that's happening around them and how they feel and think. It's fun, so I think of it more like a project than a chore. I don't know much about angst, mostly because I have no soul or emotions, so I try to portray their pain in a way that will be easy for you to understand the depths of it.

Oh, and one last thing; I might be taking a break next week. (Yes, I am aware I just got back from a long break, but there is a reason!) The reason is that I need to stock up on chapters. I usually have three more chapters on the ready for any emergency. But I slacked off and because of that, I am only left with only half-finished chapter 10. So I might not be updating next week while I write like a maniac to stock up, but I will definitely be back the week afterward, so I look forward to a chapter then!

Please review and tell me what you think!

Thank you for reading!


	11. Blame is an Easy Game

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I don't own many things, but I make do.**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 11: Blame is an Easy Game**

* * *

It's been seven days since Boruto started getting up before dawn to train.

The night Tsunade visited was a restless one for him, having tossed and turned in his bed without being able to go back to sleep. Getting frustrated by it, he found himself grabbing his weapon pouch at five in the morning and going out to look for a training ground available. The one he found was secluded enough for him to feel comfortable with using his more-than-average skills, though never resorting to using his Karma or Jōgan. He did target practice and laps, push-ups, and a lot of sparing one-on-one with his clone. Jutsu practice was a thing he only started to do after three more sleepless nights, and he quickly found himself doing it more and more, exhausting his chakra reserves. After running out of chakra, he pushed his body to the absolute limit with rigorous psychical training.

Starting early in the mornings and coming back late in the afternoon was not something he planned on doing at first, but as time passed he found that it was easier that way. Although he did miss Himawari and Sarada, he was also kind of relieved that he doesn't need to see them much. Every time he looked at them in this time, he wanted to drop to his knees and beg them to forgive him for bringing them here. If only he was stronger, he could have taken on Kara in a way that no one had to get hurt, nobody needed to die and he wouldn't have had to fight _him_, thus dragging his friend and little sister to this time either.

It was his fault. He knew it, and no matter what Himawari or Sarada would say, they probably thought the same. He was weak, and because of that they lost everything, and are now living in an era that exists almost twenty years before their time, and a small misstep might blow them out of existence. He hated it. Focusing on the wood pillar he was hitting, he threw another punch.

_Punch. _His master, giving him advice on how to counter a certain jutsu. _Dead._

_Punch. _His friends, eating at the burger place and throwing fries on each other for fun. _Gone._

_Punch. _His grandfather and aunt, sitting at the table with him in the Hyūga manor and talking, his grandfather wearing a red scarf. _Also gone._

_Punch. _His mother, laughing at him and Himawari fighting their father over a cake. _Not coming back._

He punched the pillar with more force.

_Punch. Punch. Punch. _His father, letting him ride on his shoulders and telling him stories about his adventures. _Dead._

_'And they're not coming back, ever,' _whispered a small voice in his head.

"SHUT UP!" Boruto punched the pillar with so much force it broke, bruising his hand in the process.

"Damn it!" He looked at his injured hand, the skin of the knuckles split and blood coming out of the wounds. He ignored the pain in his hand and looked at the wood pillar he destroyed. The thing was blown to bits, splinters and wood chunks everywhere. He must have subconsciously infused chakra with his punch as Sarada taught him how to do once.

_Ugh,_ Boruto went back to examine his injuries. _This is the worst._

He could go to Sarada to have her heal it in a few seconds, but she's been swamped ever since she took Tsunade's proposal to be her student a week ago, and he didn't want to bother her with something like this while she worked at the hospital. And Himawari would only worry about him if he asked her to bandage his hands, so he can't go to her either.

Reluctantly, he figured his only solution is to go to Tsunade for help. It was around 10 in the morning, so she should already be in her office, and he might as well go there to deliver Himawari's invitation for the Hokage to come to have dinner at their apartment. She mentioned it the other night at dinner, so Boruto figured it would be alright if he invited her.

Grabbing his kunai and shuriken, he placed them back in his pouch and walked away from the training ground.

The streets of Konoha were already busy in this hour, and many people swamped the market place as he made his way through it. A few people would look at him from time to time as if they recognized him, but since he had only one eye open and two patches covering his cheeks nobody could say for certain they knew him. He knew why those people thought so though; He looked almost exactly like his father, especially at this age, so they probably thought that Naruto was back in the village. According to Tsunade, his father was out of the village for a training trip with Jiraiya for almost three and a half years. Sakura was working in the hospital ever since, and Sasuke…

Sasuke was with Orochimaru.

Boruto had only met the snake summoner a few times, and aside from Mitsuki, he couldn't fathom who would want to stay with Orochimaru for years out of choice. Mitsuki was Orochimaru's son, and even though Boruto had been told that the man(?) had calmed down a lot since his prime, that just meant that in this period, Orochimaru was still the criminal the history books always described. So for Sasuke to go to a person like that willingly... his master had to be a different person than who Boruto knew. He wasn't the Sasuke Boruto knew, but the Sasuke who many people thought of as a criminal. That knowledge wasn't easy for Sarada or Boruto to deal with after getting all of the facts from Tsunade, but he knew Sarada had it rougher than him. Her father was nothing like the guy who existed in this p and Boruto didn't know how he would react if he ever met him.

Although, he didn't know how he'd react if he met his mother or father from this time. They were different people, at least in his eyes. The events that made them the people he knew all his life still didn't happen for them, and they still haven't changed them for the better or the worse.

Himawari has been going to see Neji and Hanabi almost every day since they arrived, and even though Boruto would never tell her that, he was worried about her being at the Hyūga Manor all day. She might run into their mother if she stays there too long, and he didn't know what she, or he, would do if that situation arises.

He allowed those confused thoughts to fill his head and let his legs walk him to the Hokage Tower on their own. Walking up the stairs to Tsunade's office, he remembered all of the times he walked down the halls leading to the Hokage's office in his childhood, either to prank, give food and clothes, or just visit his old man. A lot of time has passed ever since he pranked his father though, which must mean he grew up. So much time has passed between when he was just a kid starting in the academy. Almost nine years. Thinking like that made him feel old.

Reaching Tsunade's door, it took him a moment to remember why he was there in the first place. He glanced down at his hand, seeing it dripping blood on the carpet from the wounded knuckles reminded him of the reason. _I really shouldn't forget about my injuries like this. _Knocking on the door, he heard the "come in" from the other side and entered the office.

Tsunade lifted her head from the pile of documents she was working on and raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Boruto, what are you doing here?"

Boruto held his injured hand out for her to see. "I had a little training accident," he explained. "Think you can help me out?"

Tsunade sighed. "Come here," she motioned for him to step closer and give her his hand, so he did. She examined his wounds and started to heal them, a green aura emitting from her palm and sending a soothing sensation throughout his body from his hand.

"How did you get this?" Tsunade asked him while looking at the wound she was healing.

"I may have punched a wood pillar too hard," Boruto told her sheepishly.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and moved to the next knuckle. "May have?"

"Alright, I did it," he admitted. "But it started it."

"Sure it did," Tsunade let go of his hand and he brought it closer to his face to examine it. Other than the smeared blood, no indication of wounds was seen on the skin, not even a small scar.

"I guess this is why you're the number one healer in all of the five nations," Boruto told the woman.

"Oh please, every medic worth their talent would be able to do something as simple as this," Tsunade dismissed his words. "I got the title by being able to connect someone's torso with his lower half and have him walk afterward."

"Right…" Boruto didn't know how to react to that. He just wondered if Sarada would ever need to fix someone's cut-in-half body in her career. He hoped that if she does he wouldn't be in the room to watch.

Speaking of which…

"Say, how's Sarada doing in the hospital?" Boruto decided to ask the Hokage.

"She's doing well," Tsunade told him without taking her eyes off of the documents in front of her. "It didn't take her a lot of time to adapt to the environment, and she's good at managing the work there as well as her studies."

"I see, that's good," Boruto nodded, feeling relieved.

"It is, but it's not what you wanted to know, is it?" Tsunade looked at him, a knowing look in her eyes. "You wanted to know how she's doing with Sakura working there too."

"Yeah," Boruto stared at the village from Tsunade's windows and didn't look at her directly. "I can't imagine she just accepted that and moved on." He couldn't imagine himself doing well if he was in Sarada's place.

"Well, I can't say it has been easy for her from what I hear," Tsunade informed him. "She's been having some trouble adjusting to it, but I hope it's only temporary."

"I see," Boruto made a note to himself to ask Sarada about it the next chance he gets. "Well, I better get going."

"Just a moment, Boruto," Tsunade stopped him. "I have one more thing to tell you before you go."

"What is it?" Boruto asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.

"I got word from Jiraiya," she told him, and he tensed. If she got word from Jiraiya, that must mean… "Are they coming back?" He asked her in what he hopes seemed a nonchalant manner, even though his heart was beating in his ears.

"They started heading back about seven days ago, so they should be here sometime between this week and the next." Tsunade looked him in the eye. "When they do come back, how do you want to handle it? Do you want to tell _him_? Not tell him, but be introduced to him?"

"I don't know," Boruto made a noncommitted gesture with his hands. He didn't know how to handle the topic yet, and it made him restless to think about it. "All I do know is that it's not my decision to make alone. I'll ask Himawari about it and come back to you."

"Alright," Tsunade nodded. "Oh, and Boruto?"

"Yeah?" Boruto wondered what it can be this time.

"I take it that if you're training, your planning on registering as a shinobi?" Tsunade asked him, interlocking her fingers and looking at him expectantly.

"I… don't know yet. Maybe." Boruto wasn't sure why he was training other than the fact that he couldn't allow himself to be weak anymore. He couldn't allow himself to be caught unprepared again, no matter what.

"Very well," Tsunade went back to looking at her document. "Tell me when you decide."

"I will, thanks, Granny." Boruto thanked her with a smirk, slipping out of the room and closing the door behind him just as the sound of something heavy crashing into the door was heard and knew he had barely avoided being hit by whatever it was that Tsunade tried to throw on his head. He heard her grunting something about idiot blonde kids calling her grandma and chuckled. Some things will never change, no matter what time it is.

Moving away from the door in case Tsunade decides to follow him, he walked down the hall back outside. He should go back to training. He rested too much.

He needs to train as much as he can to protect his sister and friend. He swore to himself he would never let them or him feel helpless ever again.

_I wonder how they're doing,_ he thought to himself. _I barely saw them this week._

* * *

Sarada felt helpless.

It's been over a week since she has started her internship at the hospital and her studies under Tsunade, and while the studying part was going almost hitch-free, she found out that she had forgotten that the internship part came with an issue of sorts.

Her mother's younger self, Sakura Haruno.

Honestly, she should have thought about it when she agreed to Tsunade's offer. Tsunade had asked her about it, and Sarada had said it would be fine, but it wasn't. Sakura was nice, and she offered her help and guidance, but Sarada couldn't even look at her without feeling like crying. It frustrated her to no end, knowing that her mother isn't her mother and doesn't know her. It frustrated her because she knew that no matter what, she couldn't force the pinkette to just remember her, and even if she could, she shouldn't. Sakura probably thought Sarada hated her, seeing as whenever they were in the same room for more than a couple of minutes Sarada would find an excuse to bolt out of there. She focused on her studies instead, trying to think of other things like learning new techniques and healing the injured.

That morning, Sarada was dropping off some documents at the reception desk when two ninjas barged in through the front doors with a third one between them, screaming in pain and his blood spraying everywhere. One glance at the bleeding stump that was once his arm clued Sarada on what happened and what needed to be done. Without hesitation, she ordered two nurses to bring the man into the operating room immediately and tied her hair in a short ponytail. Running after the nurses, the gurney, and the screaming bleeding man, she passed Sakura who was just running in the opposite direction to her to assist the two remaining shinobi who also had wounds, though minor.

"Do you need any help?" Sakura asked her without even stopping in her tracks.

"No, I can handle it!" Sarada yelled back as she slammed the doors of the O.R. behind her.

The man was on the operating table with one of the nurses holding him down while another one was tying a tourniquet just above the bleeding part. Sarada did not hesitate and dived into work immediately. Summoning chakra into her palms, she began the healing process. Imagining the severed tendons, blood vessels, bones, and skin that was split when the man had his arm cut off, slowly become whole again. She couldn't create a new limb for him, but she could close the wound. Though his career as a shinobi will probably end the moment she's done. She shook those thoughts out of her head and focused on the task at hand. It was taking a lot out of her since she was at the end of her night shift. Having spent so much chakra already she felt her reserves grow smaller by the minute and she felt dizzy. What wouldn't she give for her warm bed right now? If only she could lay her head on the pillow, close her eyes, and drift off into sleep until she woke up again safe in her home, her mother waking her up early for her mission, and her father drinking coffee at the table with a scroll rolled out in front of him. What wouldn't she give…

"-san... Sarada-san!" The nurse shook her shoulder and startled her out of her dizzy state.

"Huh?" Sarada blinked around her in surprise. Was she drifting off while in mid healing?

"I said, you can stop healing him, Sarada-san," the nurse repeated what she told her. Sarada looked down and found that instead of the bleeding wound she was healing there was now a closed, clean stump without even the hint of a scar. Another nurse was currently cleaning off the blood that had already sprayed out before Sarada started her healing.

"Right, sorry," Sarada didn't know where to look. She lost her concentration. It can't happen again.

"Why won't you go clean up?" The nice nurse smiled at her. "We'll finish up here."

"Sure, thanks…" Sarada wondered out of the room in a haze. She went into the interns' lockers and opened hers, taking out new scrubs and changing into those in the women's bathroom. She can't let herself be lost in thoughts again during a healing procedure. _Especially_ during a healing procedure. There are people's lives at stake, and she needs to be able to take care of them with a focused mind.

Coming out of the bathroom, she walked back to the reception desk to pick up the documents for the new patient. Unfortunately for her, Sakura was there as well, talking with the receptionist. Breathing in slowly and then releasing, Sarada made her way to them with a smile.

"Ah, Sarada-san," the receptionist noticed her first, cutting the conversation between her and Sakura short. "Here for the patient admission papers?"

Sarada nodded. "Yeah, do you have them?" She tried not to glance at Sakura while talking to the woman, though the pinkette was staring at her.

"Right here," the receptionist handed her a few stacked papers.

"Thank you," Sarada took them from her. _Okay, and now to get out of here before-_

"Sarada-san," Sakura called Sarada, making the latter flinch internally. _Great._

"What is it, Sakura-san?" Sarada tried her best to put on a neutral face.

"How is the patient?" Sakura asked her. "Were you able to take care of him?"

"Yeah, " Sarada nodded curtly. "Aside from a missing arm, there's no trace of any injury."

"Really?" Sakura looked at her with widened eyes. "You managed to close the wound _that _professionally?"

Sarada furrowed her eyebrows. "Of course I did, why wouldn't I?"

"Well, I don't know," Sakura rolled her eyes. "Maybe because you've only been here about a week? You've got a natural talent for this. Tsunade-shishō only allowed me to work in the hospital after I've trained for a year."

"Oh, right," Sarada sweatdropped. She forgot that to Sakura and everyone else here, she was some kind of genius Tsunade recruited who only trained for a short while before starting to work in the hospital. None of them were aware that she had almost four years of training under her belt. Oh well, might as well play along to keep her cover, right? "Well, I met her when Himawari was admitted here, and after we talked about medicine and healing for a while, she thought that I looked promising enough so she offered me to learn under her." She lied. It wasn't a full lie, but it wasn't the truth either. She felt somewhat bad for lying to Sakura like that.

"I see," Sakura smiled at her. "Were you interested in medicine in your old village?"

Sarada froze and looked at her with something she felt equal to shock and anger. She felt all of her body tense and noticed that Sakura flinched at her reaction. "I-uh, I need to go now…" Sarada avoided the question and grabbed the papers from where she laid them on the counter. "I have other patients to tend to."

"Right…" Sakura looked like she wanted to ask her something else and was biting her lip. "So I'll see you later?"

"Huh?" Sarada was caught off guard with that question. "Um, yeah, I guess…" and with that not-clear response, she all but fled from the scene. She walked as fast as she could until she was sure Sakura couldn't see her and collapsed against the wall.

_Ugh,_ she held her face with her hands. _I can't believe I almost screwed up my cover._

Being around Sakura like that, when their relationship was barely that of colleagues, she didn't know what to do. It felt wrong, but on the other hand, she wasn't sure what would feel right. Does she want Sakura to act as her mother did? Probably not. It would be weird and might make people suspicious. But what _does _she want?

_This is insane. _Sarada determined. _I'm too busy to worry about something stupid like this. I have patients that need my help. And after that, I still need to go borrow some books from the hospital's library, and then I have a break, so I should probably swing by the apartment to see how Himawari's doing…_

Now with a schedule in mind, she got up from the floor and dusted her lab coat. Resolving not to think about Sakura or her complicated situation anymore, Sarada grabbed her papers and made her way to her new patient's room.

She has work to do.

* * *

"You don't have to come to visit me every day, Neji-niisan," Himawari scolded her uncle lightly after opening the door and seeing him, waiting for her to allow him to enter the apartment. "I can be alone for a few hours, it's no big deal." Even though she said that she moved and allowed him to come in.

"I know you can take care of yourself, Himawari," Neji said as he took off his shoes at the entrance. "But that doesn't mean I won't worry."

Himawari giggled. "You're such a worrywart, Neji-niisan."

"Did Hanabi-sama tell you to say that to me?" Neji glanced at her.

"Maybe~" Himawari smiled mysteriously and skipped happily down the hall to the kitchen. "Want me to make us some tea?"

"That would be nice, thank you," Neji nodded curtly and took a seat next to the table.

"No problem," Himawari smiled at him from the counter. "I just finished sculpting another mug yesterday, so I thought it might be good to test it out." She took out said mug from the cabinet and showed it to him. It was a white mug with a handle and was decorated with delicate drawings of branches and birds drawn with neat black lines. "What do you think?"

"I think it looks very impressive," Neji said, nodding at the mug to show his approval. "I didn't know you're so skilled at making things."

Himawari shrugged as she filled the teapot with water from the sink. "I stayed at home most of my childhood, so I needed to find stuff to occupy myself with." She placed the teapot over the stove and lit the fire underneath it. "I learned how to cook, clean, draw, fight, do laundry, make baskets, mugs and other stuff. It's pretty fun once you get the hang of it."

Neji listened to with interest. "Did Hinata-sama teach you all of that?"

"Some of it," Himawari smiled as she remembered fondly the times she spent together with her mom, creating things together and enjoying each other's company. "The rest I learned from different people I knew."

"I see," Neji smiled slightly. "It's nice to know Hinata-sama has such a nice future awaiting her."

Himawari stared at him for a moment. He looked happy knowing that her mother was happy, but she didn't know what he thought about his future. Did he have anything he wanted to accomplish? Any dreams he wanted to fulfill? "Say, Neji-niisan?"

"What is it?" Neji looked up at her from his thoughts. She didn't know how to approach the subject without raising some suspicion from him.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Himawari asked him without realizing what came out of her mouth until she noticed the look on his face. It was somewhere between shocked and flushed and flabbergasted.

"What?" Was all that came out of his mouth.

"D-do you have a girlfriend?" Himawari repeated the question, a bit embarrassed herself. She didn't want to pry, but even she heard the rumors about him and Tenten and their mysterious relationship back in the day. She couldn't help but wonder how much of that is true.

"Well, I can't say that I do," Neji said, sounding like he was choosing his words carefully.

"What?" Himawari felt disappointed. "But what about Tenten-san?"

"Tenten?" Neji looked surprised. "What about her?"

"Isn't there something between you two?" Himawari was starting to understand that her uncle may be a lost cause when it came to romance, as evident to her from the past few days when they hung out together. He always watched couples they passed in the streets in something akin to wonderment and puzzlement, no real interest.

"Well…" Neji drawled on his response, and Himawari tensed. Could it be she's right and there is something? "I wouldn't exactly call it 'something between us' as you put it, but at the same time, I wouldn't be able to deny that there isn't 'something'."

Himawari blinked. "What do you mean?" He was pretty cryptic with his answer, making her even more confused.

"Himawari," Neji pinched the bridge of his nose, looking and sounding uncomfortable discussing the subject with her. "I'm almost 17 years old. I'm aware that people may not always understand the way I think, but I am also a male. I think about relationships just as much as anyone else."

"But…?" Himawari felt there's a little more to it than that.

"_But_, even if I do think about those things, I am first and foremost a shinobi of the village and a Hyūga. I need to focus on my work as a jōnin, and I don't have much time for romance."

"That's still not answering the question I asked you," Himawari poured the hot water into two mugs that she had prepared and turned off the stove. "Is there something between you and Tenten-san or not?"

Neji sighed. "Maybe," he said, and when he saw that Himawari was still not satisfied with his answer, he made an effort to elaborate. "It's complicated, Himawari. Both Tenten and I care about our careers as shinobi, which is one of the things we respect each other for. We are teammates, above all else." He closed his eyes. "But we are not _just _teammates. I wouldn't even call it friends. It's something beyond it, though neither she nor I want to define it, so that is that." He looked at her completely giddy face. "Are you satisfied now?"

"Yup!" Himawari laughed. "It was pretty funny to see you get flustered like that!"

"I was not flustered," Neji told her with a stern expression. "It was a rather inappropriate question, and I just did my best to answer it seriously."

"Sure, sure," Himawari placed the two steaming mugs on the table and took the seat in front of him. "Whatever you say, Neji-niisan." She happily sipped on her tea, giggling inwardly at the disapproving look he gave her.

"Enough about me," Neji told her as he encircled his mug with both his hands. "How have you been?"

"Didn't you just see me yesterday?" Himawari pointed out, head tilted. "What could have changed so much in just a day?"

"You know what I meant by that, Himawari," Neji sipped from his tea for a short moment before placing the mug back down. "I wanted to know how you were feeling in general, about everything."

Himawari sat in silence for a moment, looking down at her tea. She raised her head to him and gave him a small smile. "I'm fine, Neji-niisan. Nothing to worry about."

Neji stared at her for a moment before turning his head and looking around the kitchen. "It's very clean here," he noted. Himawari, confused at his sudden change of subject, nodded. "Yeah, well, I didn't have much to do, so I cleaned."

"And have you been eating?" Neji swiped a glance at her.

"Not a lot…" Himawari stared at the spotless table, a result of her cleaning spree earlier that morning. "I don't have much appetite."

"I think you should eat more," Neji told her.

"It's fine, Neji-niisan," Himawari dismissed him. "I don't usually eat much as it is."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He asked her in a tone that said 'are you trying to lie to _me_?'. "Because, if I recall correctly, the day after we met for the first time, we took you to lunch at a cafè and you devoured a large plate of cinnamon rolls by yourself. I would that a rather large appetite, wouldn't you?"

Himawari shifted in her chair nervously. "I, well…"

"Himawari," Neji's voice had a harsh edge to it. "Have you been sleeping well?"

"..." Himawari couldn't answer his question without lying, and she knew he knew it.

"I see," Neji sighed. Himawari couldn't make eye contact with him. He was right. She hadn't been eating or sleeping well at all, not to mention she might have been going overboard with the cleaning.

"When my father died," Neji's words startled her from her guilty thoughts. Why was he talking about his father all of a sudden? "When he died, I used to collapse about three times a week for a month. I had no appetite, so I had no strength and yet I continued to train, resulting in me collapsing a lot. But I didn't care. The training was a way for me to still feel connected to him, so I continued to train. I didn't want to admit he was gone, and I made myself suffer for it, even if not intentionally. I bottled up my feelings and took it out on my surroundings, especially Hinata-sama, which is something I regret to this very day."

Himawari looked at him with widened eyes. He saw right through her. He noticed that she was cleaning so much because it made her feel connected to her mother. That she bottled up her feelings. She tried to fight back the sudden tears. Neji noticed that and smiled softly, covering one of her hands with his own. "There is no need to hold back around me, Himawari," he told her quietly. "Present or future, I am your uncle. Your family. Worrying about you comes with the title, so don't worry about crying in front of me."

Himawari sniffed, and despite his words, she tried to swallow back the lump blocking her throat. She couldn't let herself cry, because her brother and Sarada were doing their best to be brave too, so she can't break down. She needs to show them there's no need to worry about her.

She felt Neji squeezing her hand reassuringly and smiled at him through eyes full of unshed tears. She hoped he knew how grateful she is that he is there for her. Though she had a feeling he did.

"Have you tried talking to Boruto or Sarada-san?" Neji asked her softly.

Himawari shook her head. "No, I don't want to bother them." She played with her mug, running her fingers on its edge.

"Himawari," Neji almost sounded disappointed. "You won't be bothering them. What you are feeling is normal, and it is all but expected of you to be this way." Himawari look into his lavender eyes, the eyes that were so much like her mother's. "Tell me, are you angry?" Neji asked her, making her blink in surprise and to allow some of her tears to fall down her cheeks. "Angry?" She repeated after him, voice cracking a little. "Why would I be?"

"Himawari, you have lost more than just your parents. You've lost your village and friends as well. It is okay to be angry about that, to blame someone for it." Neji explained to her.

Himawari nodded slowly. "I know." But she didn't know. Angry at someone? Blaming someone? Who should she be angry at? Who would she blame-

_Oh, _Himawari's eyes widened as a familiar face popped into her mind. _I see…_

She bit her lip nervously. "Himawari?" Neji looked at her, concerned.

"It's nothing," she said. "Just-"

"I back!" Sarada's voice interrupted Himawari mid-sentence and the sound of the door opening and closing made both her and Neji jump. Himawari hurried and wiped the few tears on her cheeks away before Sarada appeared in the entrance to the kitchen. She was carrying a few books with her.

"Oh, Neji-san," Sarada noticed Neji. "How are you?"

"I am good, thank you," Neji nodded to the raven-haired. "But I'm afraid I should be going now, I only stopped by to check on Himawari. Now that you are here, I should go back to my duties." He got up from his chair and placed his mug, the one that Himawari drew birds and branches on, in the sink. He passed Himawari on his way out of the kitchen, his left hand squeezing her shoulder for a moment, showing support.

"Alright," Sarada placed the pile of books she was carrying on the table. "It was nice seeing you, Neji-san."

"You as well, Sarada-san," Neji bowed his head curtly. "Himawari, I hope you'll give what we discussed more thought."

"I'll try," Himawari told him, smiling. "But I can't promise anything."

"Trying is enough for now," Neji told her with an understanding smile.

"I'll see you out," Sarada offered, but he shook his head. "No need, I'll manage."

"Okay, take care." Sarada nodded at him. He gave her a nod of his own. "I will."

And with that, he exited the kitchen and left the apartment seconds afterward. Himawari sat there for a moment, still mulling over her conversation with her uncle, before turning to Sarada. "I didn't know you'd be back so early," she noted, getting up from her chair. "Do you want some tea?"

"I'd love some," Sarada sat down and stretched her arms. "And I'm just on a break. I'll have to go back in about an hour."

"I see," Himawari took a few extra seconds more than necessary to pour the tea for Sarada. She made sure to use the black tea powder and not the green tea one like the one she was drinking. "And the books?"

"They're studying material for me, assigned by Tsunade-sama herself," Sarada informed her and opened the first book of the pile. "I need to work on memorizing them."

"Memorizing them?" Himawari felt worried for her friend. "Sarada, have you seen these books? They're pretty thick. Are you sure you can do it?"

"Of course I can," Sarada huffed, blowing a few strands of her hair away from her face. "This is nothing."

"If you say so," Himawari still felt hesitant as she placed down Sarada's mug. Those books did not look like some light reading material. And the way Sarada has been acting lately… Himawari worried her friend might be letting her work consume her. Biting those words back, she sat down again and decided to concentrate on drinking her tea. She had a feeling that if she brought that topic to Sarada the girl would either deny it or tell her she's imagining it, and she didn't want that. Besides, it was just a theory. Maybe she was wrong. Noticing that her mug was empty, she got up with a sigh and placed it in the sink.

The words Neji told her made her think. In many aspects he was right about her, she did clean to feel close to her mother. But when he said those things about blame and anger, something bugged her. She glanced at Sarada and was tempted to talk to her about it, but the Uchiha was already engrossed in her books, nose inches from the page.

_Maybe another time, _Himawari figured.

Looking at the clock, she noticed that lunchtime was approaching fast. She still didn't prepare anything since she wanted to wait for her brother to come home before she starts. Though that might not happen, considering he barely returned home the last few days. She only saw glimpses of him here and there this last week. He wouldn't be avoiding her, right? It couldn't be that. There must be another explanation.

"Sarada," Himawari called her. Sarada barely lifted her eyes from the book to look at Himawari. "Do you want something particular for lunch?"

"Oh," Sarada shook her head. "I'll be going back to the hospital before lunch, so I'll just get something from the vending machine."

"I see," Himawari nodded and left Sarada to return to her book. So she would be eating alone again. She had enough groceries for herself, though they were getting a little short on money. Sarada is still interning at the hospital, so she won't be getting paid for a while longer, meaning that their only source of income is the thin envelope Tsunade gave them. She hoped her brother was thinking of ways to make more money for them while he's out. She wondered what he was doing all day, even if she could tell from the dirty clothes she has seen in the laundry basket every night he was training hard. Was he planning on going back to being a shinobi? Is that why he is working so hard?

_Going back to being a kunoichi might be a good thing for me too,_ Himawari thought to herself. She wondered if she could do it since she hasn't touched her weapon pouch ever since they got here. It's not like it's a bad idea. But still…

_I should think about it some more before making a decision,_ Himawari decided. _Maybe I should ask Onii-chan when he's here._

Resolving to corner her brother and talk to him the next time she sees him, she walked out of the kitchen and to the balcony, where she hung the laundry last night. Those clothes won't fold themselves.

_But if I am going back to being a kunoichi, I should probably start training again soon,_ Himawari realized as she took the clothes off the ropes she hung them on and placed them in the basket that she took outside. Maybe she could ask Neji to train with her since she knew he was a prodigy of the Hyūga and the Gentle Fist technique.

First and foremost, she needs to talk to her brother about it.

Something bugged her in the back of her mind._"It is okay to be angry about that, to blame someone for it."_ That's what Neji said, but she still felt conflicted about it. Even if it is, would it be weird for her not to? Not to feel anger, or to blame someone. It is not as if she didn't know who the people responsible for her pain are, but at the same time, she doesn't feel like she should be blaming them at all. It confused her, and she was biting back a growl of frustration. She didn't like thinking like that.

_If only Onii-chan was here to listen,_ she thought sadly.

But Boruto has been avoiding her for a week, and she doesn't see him stop soon.

* * *

The books Sarada read were truly interesting and taught her stuff she never knew about the human body.

It's been two days since she saved the man who has lost his arm, and she was proud to write in her report that he was doing much better than other people in his situation, and was expecting full recovery in a few days after some more rest and fluids since he has lost a lot of blood before arriving at the hospital.

Ever since she displayed her skills in the O.R., she has gotten called in for a lot of procedures than before, assisting other doctors and at times even taking the lead on surgeries and operations. She was glad that she was getting so much work because work helped take her mind off things she didn't want to think about. It helped calm her nerves, and as a plus, it also helped other people, so it was a win-win situation for all. The other thing that she gained from her increase in work is that she was making a name for herself quickly. Tsunade's new student that was taking the hospital by storm, the wonder girl who appeared out of nowhere. She felt kind of bad for the other interns who worked beside her for taking the spotlight, but they seemed to worship her and her work just as much as everyone else, so she chose to push the small guilt she felt down, receiving the praises from her colleagues graciously and modestly. Or at least she hoped it seemed that way.

Even Sakura complimented her for the skills she had displayed. It felt weird, the compliments coming from her mouth like a senior proud of their junior, not of a mother proud of her daughter. But she needs to get used to it and keep her distance from Sakura. She told herself it wasn't personal, but that would be the exact opposite of what she felt. Of course, it was personal and deep down she knew it. The sight of her mother so young alone was enough for her stomach to be doing summersaults all over the place. Her throat felt like it's going to be blocked every time she noticed a glimpse of a pink hair around the halls. She couldn't have that. She needs to be focused on her work.

Wiping her forehead with a handkerchief, Sarada leaned back on her chair in the break room. She just finished her eighth operation in 12 hours. It was safe to say she was exhausted, physically and mentally, not to mention her chakra was almost spent completely. She went through the notes she wrote on her clipboard and made sure she did all of her written tasks. It was getting late, the sky outside slowly turning gold as the afternoon crawled lazily in. She's been on her shift ever since 1 in the morning, and the tiredness was getting to her. Her limbs felt like lead, and her mind was almost disconnected from her body, begging her to close her eyes and drown in sweet sleep. She tried to shake those feelings away and focus on the book that sat open on the desk. She was reading and re-reading the same paragraph for over ten minutes, nothing in it registering in her brain. She gave the book another chance, forcing her eyes to move along the line and then down the page, not managing to read a thing. Her brain instead wandered off in a different direction, back to her patients. If she was honest with herself, the number of people she was saving was rather large for someone who barely started working in a hospital a week ago. But she couldn't just tone it down, no matter if she looks more suspicious because of it. Those are people's lives, and if she can help in any way, she will. She will not hide her skills just to keep herself safe. She will not sacrifice someone else so that she can get out without a scratch. Not like her mother did.

Her breath hitched and her eyes widened. That thought, why was she thinking like this? She doesn't resent her mother for sacrificing herself. Why would she? Her mother did it to keep her safe.

'_You and all of those people in the hospital, though what good did it do if you're the only one left?' _Her mind whispered, and she clenched her teeth. That wasn't true. Her mother tried to save everybody, just like a good medic does. That's all.

'_Sure it is,' _Her mind mocked her.

_Shut it,_ she fired back.

'_Make me,'_ it shot back.

_Ugh, this is insane, _Sarada was pretty sure she's losing it. she buried her face in her hands, tired and confused.

"Oh," a voice from behind her cut the conversation in her head. "There you are,"

Sarada turned around in her chair to see Sakura, who's head popped into the room.

"I just wanted to let you know Tsunade-sama said she's going to start training you soon," Sakura told her.

"I see," Sarada tried to keep her face neutral and her voice emotionless. In light of her previous thoughts, Sakura might be the last person she needed to talk to right now. "Is that all?"

"Uh… yeah," Sakura nodded and entered fully into the room. "That's everything."

"Okay," Sarada went back to read her book, or at least pretended to, while she waited for Sakura to exist. But instead, the pink-haired girl went up to her locker and took out a book of her own, sitting down in front of Sarada and opening it.

_Great, it must be the start of her break,_ Sarada thought to herself in annoyance. She didn't want to feel this way about Sakura, but it felt like her whole being was a mockery to Sarada. That while her mother, the vibrant pink-haired, green-eyed medic she admired her entire life was dead, and just when Sarada was starting to come to terms with it, life just shoved a younger version that woman in her face. It angered her. She didn't want to get to know this Sakura since she felt it would be like replacing her mother with another version. It frustrated her, and she knew it wasn't right of her to think that, but she did.

"Say, Sarada-san?" Sakura's voice tore Sarada away from her inner turmoil.

"What is it?" Sarada's speech was hard and formal. _Keep your distance_, she tried to send the pinkette a message. _I don't want you to be near me. It hurts._

"Do you...hate me?" Sakura's voice was hesitant and small, but her tone and the careful look she sent Sarada were clear as day. Her question hit Sarada like a sack full of bricks. Hate her? How can Sarada hate her? No, she was pushing her away because the opposite was true.

"I don't hate you," Sarada said quietly, looking down at her book instead of looking into those green eyes that haunted her in her dreams.

"Then why are you acting like that?" Sakura's expression was invisible to her, but her body shifted on her seat like she was trying to get a better look on Sarada's face.

"That's… it's complicated," was all Sarada could say. It was a weak response, and they both knew it.

Sakura sighed. "Look, I don't want to pry, but if it's about something I did, just tell me," her tone was a hurt and small one, unsure of what she should do.

_It is about something you did. Or, more like something you'll do._ Sarada thought hopelessly. She couldn't tell her she's mad at her because her future self ran into an on-fire hospital to try and save patients, and then exploding before Sarada could get close to it. She couldn't tell her how much she cried, or how shocked she felt when she saw the explosion and the smoke, the fire that scorched even the buildings nearby, so hot she felt her tears evaporate just by being near it. She couldn't tell her how alone she felt because of it all, how torn apart and scared she is. She just couldn't. Shouldn't. Wouldn't.

So she settled for an excuse. "You just… remind me of someone," Sarada said and look into Sakura's eyes, trying to ignore her need to hug her and cry. "And it's a bit difficult, that's all."

"Oh," Sakura went quite. "Well, if you ever need to talk about it…"

"I know," Sarada nodded and gave her a little smile. A perfect, fake, little smile. She'll never be able to tell Sakura, but she wanted to show her that she appreciated the effort. Getting up, she closed the book she had stopped reading a long time ago and pushed the chair back into place.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked her.

"My break is over," Sarada lied. She still had 20 minutes more to her break, 20 minutes she could honestly use for sleep, but she just couldn't be in the same room as her right now. It hurt too much.

"Alright," Sakura nodded. "I'll see you later?"

Sarada nodded. "Yeah," she said, knowing that if it was up to her, that might not be the case. "I'll see you later."

She exited the room and closed the door behind her, leaning her back against it and sighing. Talking to Sakura was nerve-racking and exhausting. She had to carefully choose every word she said and act as cold and distant as she could. She meant what she said in there, that she didn't hate Sakura. She didn't, but every time she saw her, a small part of her wanted to blame the pinkette for everything wrong in her life. For leaving her. And it was that part she hated, not Sakura.

Cursing quietly, she wondered what she should do for the remainder of her break, seeing as relaxing with a book or going to sleep was no longer an option. She was pretty tired, but it's not like there was a lack of things to do around the hospital. She had patients she planned on taking care of later, but she could probably do it now instead.

Looking at her clipboard, she decided to pay a visit to the man who lost his arm she healed to days ago. She just needs to check up with him, and then if everything goes well he can go home.

Walking to his room, she remembered the first time she visited him, a few hours after he lost his arm. He was angry at his loss, and took it out on both her and himself, almost throwing a fit. She prescribed pain-killers and checked his vitals, and then escaped as soon as she could. While she did feel bad for him, he was getting on her nerves with him saying that losing his arm is the worst thing that could happen to him. She understood his point; as a shinobi, losing an arm and losing your ability to weave hand signs was what terminated your career in most cases. But that man acted like it was the end of the world for him, which Sarada believed was a total exaggeration. Losing your friends, family, and village, that is what most people would consider the end of the world.

_And yet, the world somehow just keeps going, _Sarada noted.

Reaching his door, she knocked on it and waited for an answer. A woman's voice came from the other side, inviting her inside. She opened the sliding door, walking in and closing it behind her. "Good afternoon," she said, looking at her patient and the woman sitting next to him, probably his wife. The man looked at her, his bandaged stump barely seen under the loose sleeve of the hospital gown. "I'm here to give you your hopefully last check-up."

"Ah, that's great," the woman smiled at her. "So does that mean he can leave after that?"

"If nothing is wrong with him, yes," Sarada gave her an encouraging smile. "Now, are you ready to start, Mr. Noruka?"

"Tch. might as well get it over with," he grumbled and turned to her.

"Now, dear, don't be rude," his wife scolded him. "It's not her fault."

"I know that," the man said through clenched teeth. He was struggling to restrain himself.

"Have you been having any sort of pains in your arm?" Sarada asked him, ignoring his comment.

"Of course not, I don't have an arm anymore," the man said bitterly.

"I meant your remaining limb, sir," Sarada clarified. "Have you been feeling any sort of pain in it?" She took out a stethoscope and placed the metal against his chest, listening to his heart for a few moments before removing it and jotting a few words on in her clipboard.

"No, I'm fine," the man said, a bit impatient. "At least, as fine as a person who has just lost his career can be." He added.

"That's good to hear," Sarada chose to ignore his last comment as well. He was not happy with his situation, but there was little she could do about it. "Have you been having any trouble adjusting to the use of only one arm?"

The man gritted his teeth. "Is that some kind of joke?" He asked her angrily.

"Honey, calm down…" his wife held his hand in an attempt to soothe him, but he withdrew his hand from her. "No, I won't, because this _girl,_" he almost spit that word, "is mocking me!"

"I assure you I did nothing of the sort, Sir," Sarada said politely while trying to keep her calm. That man is lashing out on her for something she had no control over. He's channeling his anger at her. "I was simply asking a question. I do apologize if I said something that offended you."

"Of course you did!" The man yelled. "Look at me, I have no arm! A shinobi without an arm. I bet you secretly think it's funny, don't you?" He asked her, face twisted in anger and…shame?

"I don't think it's funny Sir," Sarada closed her clipboard with a swift movement. She managed to understand why he was feeling what he was feeling at last. "I understand more than you realize,"

"Oh yeah?" The man rolled his eyes. "I don't see you struggling with only one arm."

"You're right, I have both my arms," Sarada agreed with him. "But my father only had one," she said, ignoring the sharp sting in her chest that happened upon mentioning her father and the surprised looks the man and his wife gave her. "He was a splendid shinobi even with one arm, and he taught me a lot."

"Your father was a shinobi?" The woman asked her.

"Yes, for a very long time," Sarada told her, a sad smile on her face. "Both he and my mother were on the same team as children, and they both grew up to be a strong ninja who protected this village with their lives."

The man swallowed. "What happened to them?"

"They died," her smile faded, a sorrowful expression replacing it. "Not too long ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mr. Noruka apologized.

"Thank you," Sarada smiled at him for a moment before reopening the clipboard. "But my point was, that even after he lost his arm, my father didn't quit being a shinobi, and he was still able to protect the village. So don't give up just yet, Sir."

"Hn," the man gave her a non-verbal reply, yet he seemed ashamed. His wife smiled at Sarada. "Ignore him," she told her with a giggle. "He just feels guilty of giving up so fast and getting lectured by a young girl."

Sarada chuckled back at her. "It's okay, most people I lecture are usually much more injured and in bad shape then he is, so this is a nice change."

The woman laughed at that, holding the man's hand, which he didn't withdraw this time. The rest of the check-up went smoothly from there, and she was able to authorize him to leave the hospital. Before heading out of the room, the man grabbed her arm for a moment. His wife was gathering their belongings in the corner of the room, but he still whispered. "Listen, I didn't mean to lash out on you like that, it's just…" he seemed at a loss for words.

"I know," Sarada smiled at him. "You were angry, and you looked for someone to blame. I just happened to be in your crossfire by accident."

"You sound like you talk out of experience," the man noted, raising an eyebrow. "Taking your anger out on somebody?"

Sarada paused for a moment and blinked. Has she been taking her anger out on people? She thought about her conversation with Sakura earlier, and about how she was pushing Himawari away these last few days. "I… maybe I am," Sarada admitted. "I hadn't noticed, to be honest."

"Well, maybe you should," the man sent her half a smile. "It did wonders for me!"

Sarada chuckled at that. "I will," she promised him. Reaching the door, she slid it open and looked over her shoulder. "Have a good day, Mr. Noruka." She called to him.

"You too, Little Miss," the man called after her. "Good luck!"

"Thank you!" She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. The conversation with Noruka made her feel a little better and helped her re-evaluate her feelings. Walking down the hallway to the reception desk to submit her report on Noruka, she figured she should probably talk with Himawari when she gets home that night. If she was right, Himawari has been having breakfast, lunch, and dinner by herself for the last week, and at a time like this when it was important for them all to stick together. To not be alone.

She walked into the lobby into what could only be described as chaos. Three shinobi were on stretchers, all with terrible wounds and bleeding out. Several nurses and doctors surrounded the stretchers, all attempting to get the shinobi first aid treatment before taking them to the operation room. One of the shinobi was unconscious from blood loss, while the other two seem to be heading there as well judging from the amount of blood that was spilling from their bodies to the floor. Sarada's heart was beating fast, her breath staggering. _Blood. So much blood._

_No, _she shook her head. _Snap out of it._

She ran to the stretcher with the unconscious man on it. "How can I help?" She asked the frantic nurse who was giving first aid healing to one of the deeper wounds on his abdomen.

"Get ready for surgery," she told Sarada shortly. "We need to get moving!" She told the other two nurses. They all grabbed the stretcher and started running to the operation room, Sarada running alongside them.

"How did they get those injuries?" She asked the nurse next to her while examining the injuries on the man. Deep cuts covered all of his abdomens, bruises who were already turning black around his ribcage, and from the looks of it at least two broken ribs and several internal bleedings. It looked like he was beaten half to death, and brutally so. Excessively brutally. It made Sarada sick. "Ninja from the Sound, from what I got," the nurse answered her. Sarada's eyes widened. The Sound Village did this? She knew they weren't always the most legal shinobi village, but to do something like this… she thought about Mitsuki, her teammate, and friend, who was delicate almost as much as he was deadly. He was always smiling, even though a bit creepily at times, but she could never picture him doing something like this to somebody. This era truly was a warring one, and Sarada wasn't sure how she felt about it.

They barged through the doors of the operation room, rolling the stretcher under the light and preparing for surgery. Sarada tied her hair into a short ponytail, pushing her bangs away from her eyes. Her chakra reserves were almost empty, but she'll have to push past it. She'll do all she can to save this man, no matter what.

She started with the worst injury on his body, a deep wound in his gut that seemed to have been created by someone driving in their kunai and twisting it. She allowed her chakra to wash over the injury, urging it to mend the ripped muscles and organs, to mend them whole again. She imagined two parts of the skin connecting themselves and pushed her healing chakra to create the same image on the patient's body. She could feel her reserves draining quickly, the sweat on her forehead dripping into her eyes, her arms screaming at her to stop, and her body shaking with the toll she was putting on it. She clenched her jaw and pushed through all of it. There is no way she's letting him die. She can fix this. She can save him. He won't have to die. And then, her mother wouldn't have to die. She wouldn't have to go back and save the patients if there are no patients. If Sarada saved all of them now, her mother wouldn't need to save them later, and she wouldn't have to die.

Her breath was quickening, and her sight was getting blurry despite the glasses she was wearing.

_"Come on…!" _She urged the wound to close.

"He's crashing!" One of the nurses yelled, the beeping of the heart rate monitor becoming more often, barely seconds apart.

"No, no, no, no," Sarada transferred more chakra into her palms, concentrating all of it into her effort to keep him alive. "You can't die, you can't, you can't, you can't!" She was panting, her knees barely able to hold her standing, her body at his limit with almost all of her chakra spent and fatigue washing over her. She has to save him. She has to save him. She has to save her. She can't let her die. She can't let her mother die. No. No. No. No. "No!" She yelled, exactly as the monitor beeped once last time before the line flattened, the beep becoming a long, white noise as Sarada stared at the man's now dead body, her hands drenched in blood. His blood. She felt her heart beating fast, her lungs screaming for air as she stopped breathing for a few moments from the shock. In the background, she heard the nurses talk, saying things, talking to her. She heard nothing. It was like she was underwater, the only things she could hear were her heartbeat and the sound of the heart rate monitor telling her she failed. That she could never save her. She looked down at her hands. _Blood. So much blood. _She started breathing heavily, eyes darting all over the room. She looked for a way out. She was suffocating. The room was closing in on her.

_Let me out, _she screamed in her mind."_let me out!"_ She heard herself yell. The nurses looked at her with concern and worry, but she couldn't look at them. Their looks were suffocating, smothering. She needed… she needed air. She turned on her heel and ran out of the room, slamming open the door and darting out of the operation room. People who were walking in the hallway looked at her, clothes drenched in blood. There were murmurs all around her. Too loud. Way too loud. She needs to get out of there. Running down the hall, she didn't look where she was going and bumped into someone, knocking herself to the floor.

"I'm sorry," a voice came from above her and made her freeze in place. _No. _"Are you okay, Sarada-san?" Sakura reached out to her, offering Sarada her hand. _No. No. No. _Sarada pushed Sakura's hand away and rose to her feet, running away. She heard Sakura's confused and worried questions from behind her, but she kept running. _Stay away from me._ _I can't save you. Don't come here._

She reached the lobby. All eyes went to her, people who were sitting in the lounge, the people at the reception desk. Everyone looking at her. Everyone needing her to save them before they die. _No, no, no, no. I can't save you. Get away from me. _

Hyperventilating, she bolted through the doors of the hospital outside, bumping into more people who were walking in her opposite direction and continuing to run. She didn't stop and didn't look back. She needs to get away from there. Her sight was blurry, and her limbs were aching, but she didn't stop. She NEEDS to be far away from there. This is where they save lives, and this is where her mother lost hers. She ran away.

* * *

Ran away and tried to leave behind the image of the place burning, black smoke rising from the skeleton of the building, and the body of her mother no longer recognizable.

Another day, another destroyed wooden pillar. Boruto sighed as he sat against a tree with his eye closed. What was he accomplishing by pushing himself like this?

_I am managing to beat the shit out of a lot of wood pillars, _He noted grimly. And what an accomplishment that was. Beating a defenseless, not-moving, object to a pulp.

Sighing again, he took a sip out of his water bottle and looked at the training ground with disinterest. At this rate, all he'll achieve is getting his hands hurt. Taking out his frustration on everything around was one way to work out his anger, but Boruto knew it was only a temporary solution. A quick fix to something he ran from like it was the plague; facing his emotions.

_It's ironic how I know I'm scared of facing my emotions but I don't do anything about it,_ he thought to himself in dark amusement. _Guess I'm a coward after all._

The sounds of footsteps brought him out of the self-pity party he was having. He looked up, seeing none-other of his uncle Neji walking towards him. "Neji-niisan," Boruto greeted his uncle with a nod.

"Boruto," Neji nodded back. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," Boruto said, not bothering to get up. "Do you need anything?"

"I do, actually," Neji gave him a serious look. "We need to talk."

"Sure," Boruto propped himself up a bit against the tree. "What's up?"

"You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and start taking care of Himawari," Neji told him directly. Boruto felt stunned for a moment, processing what he was just told. After the surprise wore off, he felt angry. "Excuse me?" He asked his uncle angrily. "What do you mean, 'feeling sorry for myself'? And what is that about taking care of Himawari?"

"Exactly what you heard," Neji crossed his arms. "You have been neglecting her, and it had taken everything I have to restrain myself from intervening because this is between you and her."

"Well, you're doing a shitty job at that," Boruto told him dryly. "And since when are you the Neglect Police?"

"Since it became about the happiness of my niece," Neji told him sternly. "You've been so busy with your misery, you failed to notice that Himawari is suffering as well."

"Look," Boruto was getting annoyed. "I know Himawari is hurt, okay? But so am I, and we both need to work it out on our own, so there's no need for you to lecture me!"

Neji uncrossed his arms and openly glared at him. "No need for me to lecture to you?" He repeated after Boruto. "When was the last time you had a conversation with Himawari_ or _Sarada? Himawari hasn't been eating or sleeping well for the last week, and refuses to tell you about it because she doesn't want to burden you!" Boruto stopped for a moment to comprehend what Neji was telling him. Himawari hasn't been eating? Doesn't want to burden him? What's with that?

"Well, Boruto?" Neji snapped at him. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"...is Himawari not eating?" Boruto asked quietly after a pause.

"Or sleeping for that matter," Neji's shoulders relaxed a bit and he sighed. "She misses your parents, Boruto, but she also misses you. It's like she lost you as well as them."

Boruto felt like garbage. His sister is suffering, and he's just sitting here wallowing in self-pity? What kind of big brother is he? And Sarada; she told him how badly she was hurting, and aside from comforting her that one time, he did nothing else to help her. He promised himself he'll protect them, that's why he was training himself so hard, but he wasn't there when they needed him.

"... I really am the worst, aren't I?" Boruto said with a small smile. A self-deprecating one.

Neji shook his head. "I don't think you are," he offered Boruto a hand to help him get up. "You just lost yourself in your sorrow, it's understandable."

Boruto took Neji's hand and got up. "Thanks, but there's no avoiding the truth," he told Neji. "I neglected my family, and I need to make it right."

Neji smiled at him. "Then go do that," he moved aside to let Boruto pass. Boruto started walking but was stopped when Neji placed a hand on his shoulder. "And Boruto? If I ever hear that you were making my niece suffer, nephew or not, I will be coming for you." Neji told him with veins popping on either side of his eyes, a smile still on his face. Boruto gulped nervously. "I won't! I promise!"

"Very well then," Neji removed his hand. "Go help your family, Boruto."

"I will, -ttebasa!" Boruto ran. He needs to get to them and show them they don't need to hide things from him. They are all he has now, and he'd be damned if he wouldn't protect them until his last breath.

* * *

"Eh? What do you mean, she's not here?" Boruto asked the receptionist of the hospital.

"Like I said," the receptionist repeated herself. "Sarada-san left around forty-five minutes ago. I don't know where she went."

"Tch," Boruto wondered why Sarada would suddenly leave like this. "What was she doing before she left?"

"Well, according to the report, she was in an emergency surgery that failed. After that, the nurses said she ran out of the room without saying anything." The reception informed him, reading from a paper that was likely the said report.

_Surgery gone wrong?_ Boruto's eye widened. _So she couldn't save someone who was dying?_

Now he understood why Sarada ran. He needs to find her, and fast. He thanked the receptionist and turned to leave, trying to think of places Sarada would go.

"B-Boruto-san?" A voice from behind him made him stop. He turned to see Sakura standing behind him, wearing a doctor's white coat with a few splashes of red that looked like dried up blood. "What are you doing here? Is Sarada-san okay?"

"Oh, um…" Boruto didn't know how to talk to Sakura. Is this how Sarada has been feeling for the last week? "I just came to pick Sarada up, but they told me she left a while ago."

"She did," Sakura nodded. "She looked like she was about to be sick. I heard she lost a patient today, it must have been a shock to her, losing her patient for the first time."

"No," Boruto felt the urge to clarify. Sarada's been a medic for almost four years. She has lost patients in her past. This time it was someone else who she couldn't save. "It wasn't the first time."

Sakura blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I-... It's nothing, forget about it," Boruto dismissed his words. "Anyway, I need to go look for her, excuse me,"

"Will she be alright?" Sakura asked him, stopping him in his tracks. He turned to her and saw her worried face. He forgot how caring she is. "I… don't know," he admitted. "I hope so."

"Me too," Sakura smiled at him. "Good luck, Boruto-san."

"Thanks," Boruto nodded at her. "Sakura-san," he added as an afterthought.

Turning his back from her, he failed to notice the weird expression she wore, holding her head both her hands and massaging her temple.

He walked out of the hospital and looked up at the sky. The sun was slowly setting, golden light showering everything. It was going to get dark soon, and he still has no idea where to find Sarada.

_Think, _Boruto told himself. _This is Sarada, where would she go if she needs to be alone in an unknown environment?_

But this is not an unknown environment. It's still Konoha, just not theirs. So she'll go somewhere she knows from their time. So it needs to be something that exists at this time. He let his eye wander over the village, trying to think of a spot that would mean something to Sarada, a spot that would comfort her. His eye stopped at the sight of the five giant stone heads of the Hokage, all reflecting the light of the sun. _That's it!_

He channeled chakra to his feet and jumped to the top of the building in front of him. Running across the rooftops to the Hokage Mountain, he wondered how he hasn't thought of it sooner. Why wouldn't she be there, when her dream was to be the Hokage?

Reaching the stairs to the mountain, he stopped. This isn't just a memorable place for Sarada, it also meant something to him. This is where he resolved to take the same path as his master, where he used to prank his dad and spar with him, and where his battle with _him _happened. This is also the place where the vortex appeared and sent him, Sarada, and Himawari to the past.

_No, don't chicken out now, _Boruto mentally slapped himself. _You're going there for Sarada. Do it for her._

Pushing aside his feelings, Boruto ran up the stairs, taking two of them at a time. Reaching up to the top, he looked out on the village in awe. Konoha was certainly a sight to see, a bustling village at sunset. When the sun would go out, all of the districts will light up their neon signs and the streets lamps will turn on, making it a sight to behold. He almost relaxed seeing such a familiar scene. Shaking his head from those thoughts, he turned to the faces of the Hokage who were looking out to the whole village. He strained his eye a bit but managed to locate a lone figure with black hair sitting on top of the fourth Hokage's head.

Walking up to her, he placed his hands in his pockets. "There you are," he called out to her. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

She flinched, her head buried between her arms.

"Sarada," he stood next to her. She didn't answer him, her curled position not moving. He decided to continue talking instead. "I went to look for you at the hospital, but they said you ran away from there," he informed her. "They were really worried about you, you know?" Still no answer. He sighed. "What happened, Sarada?"

"...her…" his ear caught the end of a sentence.

"What?" He asked her.

"I couldn't save her…" she talked louder.

"Who?" Boruto sat down next to her, crossing his legs.

"Mama…" Sarada said, her body trembling slightly. "I couldn't save her."

_Oh, of course. _Boruto sighed again and placed a comforting hand on her back. "I know. I couldn't save my mother either, and I regret it."

"You couldn't have saved her because you weren't in the village when it happened!" Sarada lifted her head from her arms to yell at him. "I could have saved Mama if only I wasn't so late…!" Tears were streaming down her face. "If only I wasn't so late… she would still be alive!"

Boruto stayed quiet. He didn't know what to say to her. How to help her. He kept his hand on her back in hopes it will bring her some kind of comfort.

"Hey, Boruto?" Sarada didn't look at him, staring at the slowly vanishing sun instead.

"Yeah?" Boruto closed his eye and listened to the rustle of the tree leaves behind them.

"Why do people die?" Sarada asked him.

"... I don't know," Boruto said, eyes still closed. He felt the slow and lazy afternoon wind on his face, reminding him of simpler days.

"What about how the people who lost someone, how do they get over it?" She asked him, sounding almost desperate.

"I don't think they do," Boruto said, opening his eye to look at her. She had a lost expression on her face, one he hadn't seen in a long time. "I think they only learn how to live with the pain, not get over it."

"Well, do you think you can learn to live with it?" Sarada asked him.

Boruto paused for a moment. "I hope so," he said, looking at the sunset. "I know it wouldn't be easy, but I also don't want to run away from it anymore."

"I don't want to run away from it either," Sarada said, leaning against his arm. "But it hurts so much."

"Of course it does," Boruto's hand went to hold her arm, bringing her closer to him, while his other hand supported his weight. "But that's just life, I guess."

"Since when did you get this smart?" Sarada asked, sniffing and smirking at him.

"I was always this smart, you just never listened to me." Boruto teased her.

"Of course you were," Sarada's tone was sarcastic and she rolled her eyes.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, soaking in each other's company. They each had their feelings about everything that happened to them, but after only a short conversation with each other, they felt better. It was one of those solutions Boruto always wished he could have thought of before, and once he had, wondered what took him so long to figure it out. Being with the people he cared about was the only way to get over losing someone he cared about. _Wait, _he remembered. _Wasn't that what Neji was telling him?_

"Shit," he mumbled.

"Hm?" Sarada moved from his grasp to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"Himawari," Boruto told her. "Neji-niisan came to talk to me earlier, said she was barely eating or sleeping all week."

Sarada's eyes widened. "You're right," she said, moving to get up. "I was so busy with the hospital, I forgot to check on her."

Boruto stood up and brushed his clothes. "...we really are the worst, huh?"

"Don't lump me in with you," she jabbed his chest with her finger. "At least I was working, you were just out there doing god knows what and didn't come home at all!"

"Yeah yeah, can you save the blaming for later?" Boruto glanced at the almost-gone sun. "We should get home before it's dark. Himawari will worry if we both won't show up."

"Yeah," Sarada nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Himawari sighed as she set the table for herself. One plate, one set of utensils, one cup. Dinner enough for three.

It was almost dark outside, and no sign from either Sarada or Boruto. Maybe Sarada took the night shift again. And Boruto… Himawari could only hope he's been eating right.

The apartment was almost completely dark aside from the soft light of the lamp from the living room illuminating the kitchen slightly. She didn't want a lot of light. Her head was full of thoughts about what Neji had told her.

_Hate and blame? _She wondered. She knew who she should feel that way about, but…

Sighing again, she sat down at the table and clapped her hands. "Thank you for the food," she said softly. Taking a spoon, she dug into the curry and rice she made, blowing on it before eating it.

The apartment was quiet besides the sounds of her spoon grating against the plate and the clock on the wall ticking.

_Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tock…_

_I'm sorry, Neji-niisan, _Himawari looked at her barely eaten meal, losing her appetite. _I'm just not hungry._

She only tried to eat because she didn't want him to worry about her. But the truth was that every time she sat down at the empty table, she felt like if she'd eat anything at all she'll throw up. It was like she had a black hole inside her heart, sucking away everything and leaving her empty. She didn't know what to do anymore. It was like it sucked out the light in her life.

Her eyes stung, and she blinked rapidly to make the tears that were threatening to spill go away. She hated it, feeling so alone. Hated it so much. Sitting in the dark, cold apartment, eating alone, sleeping alone, not knowing anybody on the streets.

She knew who she should blame for all of it. She knew who she should hate, be angry at. She understood who it was that made her feel this way in the first place. And yet…

The sound of the front door slamming open made her jump in her seat. "Himawari!" Boruto's voice called out to her.

_Onii-chan…? _Himawari didn't understand.

"I'm here," she said, raising her voice slightly so that he could hear her. She heard shuffling in the hall, and then two pairs of footsteps were walking towards the kitchen. She turned around just when Sarada and Boruto barged into the kitchen, both panting. Boruto's clothes were tattered, and Sarada's face and clothes were covered in dried up blood.

"What happened?!" Himawari rose from her chair and ran to them.

As soon as she reached them, however, they both pulled her into a tight hug. "Eh?" She felt confused. Boruto buried his face into her hair, and Sarada held her so tightly she thought her ribs were going to crack. "What are you…?"

"We're so, so sorry, Hima," Boruto told her, his hand that supported the back of her head bringing her even closer to him. "_I'm_ so sorry,"

"W-what…?" Himawari felt her eye fill with tears and tried to blink them away. "What are you talking about?"

"We were so busy," Sarada said, tightening her hold on Himawari. "We didn't notice how you were feeling."

"I-" Himawari tried to swallow the lump in her throat to no avail. "I'm fine, don't worry about me!" She tried to sound happy.

'_Don't burden them'. _A voice in her mind said. '_They are suffering enough.'_

"Don't hide how you're feeling from me!" Boruto separated himself from her and looked her in the eyes, both his arms on her shoulders. "I'm your older brother! You should always be able to tell me how you're feeling!" His only eye was shining, his expression breaking her heart.

"Himawari," Sarada said, her tone making her look her in the eyes. "I may not be your family by blood, but you and Boruto are the only ones I have left, so don't push me away like this!" She had been crying, Himawari noticed. Her eyes were red and puffy.

She tried to smile at them. "I'm fine," her heart was screaming at her for lying. "Please don't worry about me!"

"Would you stop that already!" Boruto yelled, startling her. "You're not fine, so stop it already!"

Himawari's eyes widened with shock. She was hurting them. She tried to swallow the lp in her throat, but it didn't go away. Her vision was getting blurry, and her shoulders shook under her brother's grasp. "I'm sorry," she choked. "I'm sorry…"

They looked alarmed. "What are you talking about?" Boruto asked her gently. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about."

"There is!" Himawari argued. "I burdened you with this! You shouldn't need to worry about me, neither of you!"

"Of course I do," Boruto looked surprised. "Hima, I'm your brother, it's my job to worry about you."

"And you're like a little sister to me," Sarada added. "There's no way I won't care about you."

"B-but!" Himawari was doing everything in her power to choke back the sobs. "I-I-...!"

"You what?" Boruto asked. "What is it?"

"I don't hate him!" Himawari yelled, her tears spilling.

Boruto and Sarada looked stunned. "You don't hate… who?" Boruto's voice was quiet.

"Kawaki," Himawari saw how he flinched at the name. How Sarada's face was torn with conflicted emotions. "I don't hate him for what he did. I'm so sorry, Onii-chan."

"Himawari," Boruto's face was concealed by his bangs. "Why do you think you should apologize to me?"

"B-because I know it's his fault," Himawari said. "He was the one who-"

"I know that," Boruto stopped her mid-sentence. "But why apologize to me?"

Himawari's eyes widened. Why apologize to him? Because Kawaki was like his brother. He betrayed them, and it took a toll on Boruto's soul. He's been carrying the burden and blame for everything that happened on his back ever since, and her not hating Kawaki, isn't that like a slap in the face for Boruto?

"Himawari," Boruto's voice was gentle. "Let me tell you something," she listened closely. "I don't hate him either," he said, stunning Himawari and Sarada.

"What?" Sarada asked. "But I thought…"

"That I hate him?" Boruto smiled sadly at her. "I don't hate him, I guess I'm just… hurt. I know it was always my fault for him turning out this way. In a way, what happened to the village is all on me."

"No!" Himawari wiped her tears away and looked at her brother sternly. "You are not responsible for anything, Onii-chan!"

"She's right, Boruto," Sarada agreed with her, her expression bordering anger. "If anything, it's Kara's fault."

Boruto stared at the two of them for a moment before sighing and giving them a lopsided smile. "You two are scary when you're angry," he said. "I almost want to agree with you so that you won't kill me."

"We might kill you either way," Sarada pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah," Boruto rolled his eye and chuckled, opening his arms. "Come here, both of you."

Himawari sniffed and moved into his arms, wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her face in his chest. She felt Sarada awkwardly place herself self next to her. Boruto circled them in his hold and hugged them tightly. "I have an idea," he said. "How about we promise that from now on we won't hide things from each other anymore?"

Sarada laughed slightly. "Yeah, it sucks when we do that."

Himawari nodded into his shirt. "Let's do it."

"Good," Boruto released them from his hold. Himawari wiped away the remaining tears from her face while Sarada was adjusting her glasses. Boruto looked at both of them with a small smile.

Suddenly, Sarada's stomach growled, making her face turn red with embarrassment. Boruto's attempt at covering his little burst of laugh failed and she punched him in the gut, knocking the air out of his and making him fold. "Don't laugh, idiot!" She yelled at him.

"What the hell was the punch for?!" Boruto yelled back at her. They stared down at each other for a few moments before Himawari broke into laughter in front of them. She laughed so hard her stomach ached, and tears formed in the sides of her eyes.

"Himawari?" Boruto sounded surprised.

"I'm sorry," she choked out between laughs. "It's just- you two never change!" She told them, leaving them stunned for a moment before Boruto started grinning. "I guess we don't!" He declared. "And anyway, is there something to eat around here? I wouldn't want Sarada to starve, -ttebasa," he said. However, his stomach then made a noise that topped the one Sarada's made.

"Yeah Himawari," Sarada smirked. "Do we have anything to eat? Boruto is about to _starve._"

"Very funny," Boruto made a face. "But seriously Hima, is there something to eat?"

"Yeah," Himawari showed them to the table. "I made curry and rice."

"Ah, you're the best!" Boruto opened a few cabinets and got himself and Sarada plates and utensils.

Himawari giggled. "It's nothing," she said modestly.

Boruto placed the plates on the table and Sarada took one for herself. Himawari went to turn on the lights in the kitchen. Boruto poured a generous amount of curry onto his rice, mumbling a quick thank you before starting to shove food in his mouth. Sarada rolled her eyes at his doing and said a proper prayer before starting to eat delicately.

Himawari sat down and started to eat as well, finding the plate in front of her much more appetizing than it seemed before. They spent the rest of dinner chatting and enjoying their meal, soaking in each other's presence. It might not be perfect, or even fix how they were all feeling, but it was a start.

"Oh yeah," Boruto looked up at them from his food. "I was thinking of getting a job soon."

Sarada's spoon stopped before it reached her mouth. "You? A job?" She choked a laugh. "I'd like to see that."

"Hey, I can work at a job!" Boruto protested, offended at his friend's little faith of him.

"Sure you can," Sarada giggled, rolling her eyes.

"Sarada!" Boruto pouted at her reaction. Himawari could almost see the two's thought process as they thought the other was adorable. She giggled at her brother and friend being oblivious and stuffed her spoon in her mouth, deciding she'll watch them a little more before saying anything about their obvious crushes on each other.

_Aunt Hanabi must be rubbing off on me, _she thought to herself. _Oh well, what's the worst that could happen?_

* * *

Sarada tapped her leg against the road impatiently as she stared at the changing sky. It was getting dark, and she wanted to be at the hospital before her shift starts. She listened to Himawari and took two days off work to relax and get her bearings before taking any more shifts, and made sure to apologize to Tsunade for all the trouble she has caused. The Hokage took her absence rather well, luckily, and wished for her to rest.

_What's taking Boruto so long? _She glanced at the ramen shop to her right. Boruto offered to escort her to the hospital that night but asked that they'd make one quick stop at the ramen shop before they go. Sarada had a shadow of suspicion as to why he wanted to stop there, but held her tongue, knowing he'll tell her when he's ready. It was a thing with Boruto, him holding all of his feelings and thoughts in until he feels comfortable sharing them.

Her thoughts were cut abruptly when the blonde in question stepped out of the ramen shop, smiling proudly. "Hey," he said as he walked towards her. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Are you going to tell me what was that about?" Sarada asked him as they started to walk down the road to the hospital.

"I was just finalizing the details of my new job," Boruto smirked proudly.

"You got a job at Ichiraku's?" Sarada lifted an eyebrow. So her hunch about his motives was right after all.

"Yup," Boruto shoved his hands into his pockets. "I guess I wanted to have some sort of connection with him… even if it's like this." He shrugged and looked sheepish. Sarada smiled softly. He was trying his best at sharing, wasn't he? He looked pretty cute, embarrassed and childish like that.

_Woah! _Her mind came to a screeching halt after noticing the direction her thoughts were headed. _Nope, not happening. Not today!_

"Sarada?" Boruto looked over at her. "Is everything okay?"

"Hm?" Sarada shook her head. "Yeah, everything's fine! I'm fine!"

"Okay…" Boruto raised an eyebrow at her behavior but said nothing else. He glanced up at the crescent moon that shone above them and smiled slightly.

_Seriously, why'd I had to fall for that guy? _Sarada wondered helplessly.

They continued to make their way to the hospital in silence, one girl hopelessly trying to fight off her emotions, and the boy next to her clueless as to what was happening to his friend.

* * *

Sakura was almost finished with her paperwork for the night and went to the reception desk to submit some of it. Just as she was finishing up, Sarada and Boruto walked in, Sarada with an overnight bag, ready for her shift.

"Ah, Sarada-san!" Sakura went over to them. "Are you feeling better? We were all worried about you," she told the girl. Sarada seemed a little perplexed, but Boruto gave her a light jab in the ribs with his elbow and smiled at her. "Go on," he encouraged Sarada.

Sarada glared at him, but took a deep breath and faced Sakura again. "Yes, I'm feeling much better now," she informed Sakura. "Thank you for your concern. I have to go prepare for my shift now." And with that, she bowed to Sakura and moved stiffly inside the hospital. Sakura watched her go with worry.

"Is she really okay?" she asked Boruto, who shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. "She's… Sarada," he said as if it made everything clear. "She acts weird, and you learn to get used to it after a while."

"You sound like you're talking from experience," Sakura raised an eyebrow at his relaxed speech and manners. He reminded her of Naruto, but maybe a bit calmer.

"Yeah well," he shrugged. "I've known her ever since we were kids. We were together almost all of our lives."

"Lovers?" Sakura teased him. His face turned red and he waved his hands in panic. "No, no, no, no! Nothing like that!" He said frantically. "She's a friend, just a friend!"

"Sure," Sakura wasn't buying it for a second. "Well, I have some documents to finish up. It was nice seeing you, Boruto-san."

Boruto chuckled. "It was nice seeing you too, Sakura-san," he said, and Sakura's muscles tensed for some reason. "Keep an eye on Sarada for me, will you?"

"I promise," Sakura nodded, feeling a strange pain building up between her eyes. He waved her goodbye and left, walking out of the automatic doors with his hands behind his head.

_He looks like Naruto…_ Sakura thought to herself. Almost twins, if not for that scar on his eye. She wondered if someone ever tried healing it, and what was the damage under the eyelid. The pain between her eyes intensified, and she bit her lip to keep the groan on the tip of her tongue inside. What was going on?

She made her way to the break room, sitting down on a chair as soon as she arrived and releasing the groan she was holding back. Her head was pounding, and she grabbed both it's sides and tried to massage her temples to lessen the pain.

Pictures flashed in her mind. _Blood, flashes of blonde hair. She was trying to heal someone… who was it? She leaned in closer, trying to take a good look at the wound under her hands. There were sounds of battle behind her. The sound of hurrying footsteps behind her became louder, and she knew it was going to reach her any minute, but she has to finish healing this person's wound otherwise-_

_"Sakura!"_

Sakura fell off the chair to the floor, eyes wide and panting. The pain in her head was slowly residing, but she could still feel it in the back of her head, or maybe that was just from it hitting the floor. The scenes she just saw in her mind… were they real? When did that happen? Who was she healing?

And that voice that she heard calling her… she'd recognize it anywhere. There was no doubt in her mind that that voice belonged to him.

It was Sasuke's voice.

* * *

**Author's note: **Hi! So chapter 10 is done and oh boy was this a ride to write! Not including this A/N, it's around 15,640 words! I hope you don't mind long chapters, but I promise it's not becoming a regular thing. Maybe. Probably.

This was intense to write, for obvious reasons. I have no soul, so writing tough emotional scenes and diving into the hurt of the characters was really hard for me to do, but I did feel really sad while writing some of it. The last scene was really fun to write, with Sakura's POV. I'm still trying to get a handle on the characters' personalities and such, but I feel like I'm getting better at it. Also, the Mujina Bandits arc finally started airing this week! I'm so happy the anime is adapting more of the manga. I can't wait for Kawaki to appear! He is one of my favorite characters.

But enough rambling. Chapter 11 is already being written, and so is chapter 12. I'm stocking up as I said, but it's going better than I thought. See you next chapter, and don't forget to follow and review the story so I can have more motivation to write!


	12. Reflection

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Boruto. I also don't own that laptop I wanted since I changed my mind and am now looking for something better. I deserve it.**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 12: Reflection**

* * *

"Sarada," Himawari sighed, holding a wrapped box in cloth. "You forgot your bento. again."

"Oh, sorry," Sarada turned to take the forgotten bento from Himawari. "I guess I was just thinking about training with Tsunade-sama."

"Oh, you mean the training where you're learning even more ways to kill me?" Boruto, who was passing the hallway on his way to the kitchen commented with an eye roll. "Like you need more than the three hundred ways you already have."

"Boruto, if you think I only have three hundred ways I can kill you with, you're even more of an idiot than I thought," Sarada told him with a smirk, putting her bento in her bag.

"Great," Boruto said sarcastically and sighed, looking gloomy. "Hey, Hima, what's for breakfast?"

"The usual," Himawari replied, shaken out of the small pause she took. Watching the two of them banter was always interesting and entrancing. They were like a show where everyone could tell from the start they had a major crush on each other. "I left you a plate on the table."

"Thanks," Boruto smiled at her, his only eye crinkled a bit. "You're the best."

"You know," Sarada placed a hand on her hip and lifted an eyebrow at her teammate. "You could actually eat breakfast with us once in a while."

"I know," Boruto scratched the back of his neck. "But work's been busy these past few days so I'd rather sleep late. That way I'll have the energy."

"Right," Sarada nodded, her tone oozing doubtfulness. "Sure you do."

"Don't you have some hospital to be in?" Boruto reminded the Uchiha, whose eyes widened in panic.

"Oh, crap!" Sarada hastily grabbed her bag and books. "I'm going to be late! See you guys later!" She opened the door and ran out, slamming it behind her in the hurry.

"I don't know how she does it." Boruto shook his head, though Himawari saw him crinkle his nose in amusement. She giggled to herself and followed him to the kitchen, where he took a seat and mumbled a quick prayer before digging in.

"Does what?" Himawari picked up some of the dirty dishes and placed them in the sink, opening the faucet and letting the warm water wash over her hands, testing the temperature.

"That," Boruto waved ambiguously in the direction of the hallway. "Getting lost in her work, training and everything else so much that she even forgets to eat." He shoved a few pickles in his mouth and chewed, his gaze distant and pondering. _She's not the only one, _Himawari noted to herself. Her brother seemed to have the ability to forget himself while thinking too, though he'll probably never forget to eat.

"I guess she's just really passionate about it," Himawari shrugged while scrubbing the plate in her hands with a sponge. The soap water burning the cuts and minor burns she had on her fingers from her first few attempts at cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen. "I actually think it's pretty inspiring."

"Of course," Boruto smiled while picking a part of the grilled fish in front o him he liked and eating it. "I'm not saying it's not, but I'm worried she's going to overwork herself again if she keeps it up." He said while chewing.

"Swallow before you talk, Onii-chan," Himawari reminded him, her tone scolding. Why does she need to remind her_ older_ brother about that stuff anyway? Isn't he sixteen?

"Right, right," Boruto swallowed, placing his chopsticks down for a moment. "Anyway, enough about Sarada. What are you going to do today?"

"I think I'm going to visit Neji-niisan today," Himawari smiled at the thought of visiting her uncle. "I want to ask him something."

"Oh?" Boruto gave her a curious look. "What do you want to ask him?"

"Nothing important," Himawari evaded the question, wiping the last plate with a handtowel and hoping he won't pry any further.

"I see," Boruto finished devouring his breakfast, inhaling whatever food was left and placing his chopsticks down for good. He got up and walked to the sink, dishes in hand. He placed them in the clean, sparkly marble Himawari had just finished washing. "Well, good luck on whatever it is then."

"Thanks," Himawari smiled at her brother and placed the towel back on the counter. "Oh, and Onii-chan?"

"Hm?"

"You're washing your own dishes," Himawari giggled at Boruto's almost-betrayed expression and walked to her room, hearing him mumbling things about evil little sisters.

She entered her room and went to the closet, trying to pick out the perfect outfit for today. She wants something comfortable, but also something that she can move in, in case she manages to convince Neji to do what she had planned on asking. She settled for a pair of dark green shorts and a yellow hoodie with a brown undershirt. She grabbed her weapons pouch and kunai holster, tying them to her belt and leg over some bandages.

"Going already?" Boruto's voice startled her, he stood behind her, leaning against the threshold with his arms folded against his chest.

"Onii-chan!" She pouted at him for making her jump. "Yeah, I don't have anything else I wanted to get down around the apartment today, so I figured it might be best to just go."

"Alright," Boruto straightened up from his leaning position against the door and walked over to her, ruffling her hair slightly. "I'm going to work."

"Did you wash the dishes?" Himawari lifted a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes, I did," Boruto rolled his eye, huffing in annoyance. "So I'm going to go get some money for the food you're eating."

Himawari giggled. "Alright, have fun!"

Boruto shook his head at her but walked away with a small smile. She knew he was just pretending that he didn't like working at the ramen stand. He actually enjoyed it more than he'd like to admit.

Hearing the front door open and close, she knew he left for work. Despite what she told her brother, there are still had some chores left to do before she could go visit her uncle, such as cleaning and washing the rest of the dishes, as well as watering some of the plants she recently acquired for the apartment. Walking out of her room, she went to the kitchen and opened the door cabinet under the sink, taking out a mop and a bucket. Time to get to work.

Humming to herself while working, she washed the floor of the kitchen, letting the smell of the floor soap drown her senses. It reminded her of the soap her mother used. Without noticing, she started humming the songs her mother hummed while she cleaned and Himawari watched when she was younger. Her mother would clean while Himawari sat at the table and drew, the lemon and lavender smell of the soaps mixing with the smell of freshly baked sweets and the flowers they had on the table. The glass doors leading to the yard were slid open, letting the warm summer breeze blow in, the rustle of leaves outside adding a calming sound to the morning harmony of voices and smells.

Her mother always loved those moments. It made both her and Himawari happy, to share them with each other and sometimes Boruto and her father as well. Her favorite instances were when Boruto would lay on the floor, reading a book like he did when he was bored with his video games, her father sitting at the table and reading the paper, talking with her mother who was baking cookies for everyone, and Himawari drawing, trying to capture that moment on her papers.

Realizing that while she was reminiscing, she finished cleaning everything else, she placed the bucket and mop back in there place and dried her hands. Glancing at the clock, it was ten-thirty. As good time as any to go to the Hyūga Manor. Making sure she has everything she needs, Himawari wore her sandals and stood up, walking out of the house and locking the door behind her.

It's time to go visit her uncle.

* * *

"Boruto!" Teuchi called the blonde's name when the latter walked into the stand, smiling widely, adding a few more wrinkles to his already wrinkled face. "You're early, your shift doesn't start for another twenty minutes."

"I know," Boruto smiled at his employer, shrugging. "But I figured I'd come in earlier. 'got nothing else to do anyway."

"Aren't you the charmer?" Ayame rolled her eyes at his words, though the ends of her mouth twitched. "Get in the kitchen, I could use some help with the orders."

"Sure thing," Boruto walked behind the counter. There was one shinobi that sat at the end of the bar and chatted with Ayame in a low voice, and three others who were waiting for their orders. _Business booming as always, _Boruto noted with an inward chuckle.

Tying an apron around his waist, Boruto rolled up his sleeves and dived into work. He found that making ramen, while oddly complicated and stressful at times, was quite satisfying for him. He certainly understood why his father enjoyed eating at this stand so much. The food was prepared with a lot of thought and care, each step treated with the most concentration. The first few days he worked there were only to train him in the process of making the noodles and the broth, and he only got an 'okay' after pouring everything he had learned into the first batch he made without any help. Teuchi and Ayame did not take the recipe lightly, and he was almost brutally murdered by an angry Ayame with a ladle on several different occasions when he took out the noodles before the time she said to.

But still, the job paid well, his employers were nice and welcoming, and he got to eat ramen for free on his lunch breaks. Boruto couldn't complain, and he was treated like a family member by the father and daughter who ran the shop. He was truly fortunate to have landed a job with them.

"Here's your order," Boruto placed a bowl of hot ramen in front of the man chatted with Ayame. "One miso ramen, as requested."

"Thanks, kid," the man gave him a grin, breaking a pair of dispensable chopsticks apart. "You're certainly quick, for a newbie."

Boruto smirked. "Yeah, because I'm awesome."

"Sure you are," the man laughed. "Though I'm sure it's still not as good as Teuchi's."

Teuchi laughed at that, pulling a new batch of noodles out of the water and into a broth. "Maybe not yet, but I have great expectations of this young man here," he patted Boruto's back while moving through the narrow kitchen. "He's a quick learner."

"Thanks, old man," Boruto said sheepishly, looking at the wall next to him so to avoid letting the others see the slight blush that dusted his cheeks because of the compliment.

"I've gotta ask," the shinobi said with his mouth full of noodles. "You certainly don't look from around here, boy. And I've never seen you anywhere. You new?"

Boruto rubbed the back of his head nervously, licking his lips. "Yeah, moved here about a week ago."

"Sure you're not a spy or something?" The man jokingly asked.

"Of course I am," Boruto said sarcastically, rolling his eye. "I came here to steal all of this ramen shop's recipes and sell them in another nation."

"I know you're joking," the man told him as he downed the last of his broth. "But if you actually do that, I will personally hunt you down and kill you."

Boruto gulped at the intensity of the man and reminded himself not to joke about ramen secrets again. "I promise I won't," he said seriously. The man laughed at his reaction and offered his hand to him. "I'm Yūgo," he said.

"Boruto," Boruto shook his hand. The man definitely had the hand of a shinobi. Callous and hard, cuts and small scars all over it.

"Well, Boruto," Yūgo reached down his pocket and placed money on the counter. "I hope to see you again sometime. You don't make totally terrible ramen."

"Very funny," Boruto smirked. The people of Konoha were friendly, and it was a trait everyone shared, shinobi included. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too," Yūgo smiled at Teuchi and Ayame. "Well, I'm off. I have a mission briefing in a bit." He leaned over the counter and gave a quick peck to Ayame's lips, waving Teuchi goodbye. He walked out of the stand with his hands in his pockets. Boruto waved at him with a smile.

"He's a good man," Teuchi said as Ayame collected the money Yūgo left and placed it in the register, her cheeks dusted with pink and a small smile on her lips. "He always comes here before a mission to see Ayame and eat."

"I can see that," Boruto turned to Ayame. "How long have you been together?"

"Almost three years now," Ayame told him, her smile widening at the mention of her relationship with Yūgo. "We're planning to move in together next month."

Boruto lifted an eyebrow. "That's a large step."

Ayame shrugged. "We would've done it sooner, but with the recent flood of missions there wasn't any opportunity for us to take time off."

"Well, I hope everything works out for you two," Boruto told her as he started working on a new batch of noodles.

"Thank you," Ayame giggled. "What about you? Anyone special in your life?"

Boruto almost choked in nothing. "What? No. No way."

"Really?" Ayame sounded skeptical. "What about the girl that sometimes comes here... Sarada, right?"

"Sarada?" Boruto laughed nervously, trying to shake off her question as if she was suggesting something preposterous. "Nah. She's just a friend."

"Are you sure?" Ayame's tone bordered teasing, and Boruto was pretty sure his heated face was not the result of the stream coming out of the noodles he was making.

"I- um…" he swallowed.

"Now, Ayame, don't go making him feel uncomfortable," Teuchi intervened just in time. Boruto sighed in relief, that conversation was heading somewhere he would have rathered it wouldn't.

"Alright, I won't," Ayame yielded. "But you definitely look like you have a lot of chemistry between you two." She told Boruto.

"Yeah, I guess," he shrugged. "We've known each other forever, ever since we were kids."

"Childhood friends?" Ayame squealed. "That's so adorable!"

"Ayame," Teuchi stopped his daughter again.

"Right," Ayame cleared her throat. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Boruto assured her. They went back to work, but he was left with some stuff on his mind. He allowed his thoughts to wonder as he made the ramen, leaving his hands to do the work while he remembered snippets of memories from his childhood. The times he played with Sarada in the park, their parents watching from afar. If he really tried, Boruto could almost see in his mind the image of a dark-haired man with one arm sitting next to a woman with pink hair, both of them watching them while talking to his parents. That must have been Sasuke, from the time before he left the village for his mission. The memory was fuzzy, and Boruto wasn't even sure if he remembered that, or just thinks he does because his parents told him about it.

"Welcome!" Ayame greets a new customer behind him, and he shook his head, trying to go back to focusing on his work instead of his memories.

They will never be forgotten, but it hurts too much to remember. At least for now.

* * *

Sarada placed down her book and stretched her arms above her head. It was almost lunchtime, and she's been studying for a straight hour. The book was very interesting, talking about a theory that healing chakra can actually be more effective if the thoughts of the healer are scattered and light, instead of focused and grim. At first, she thought that theory was a joke of sorts, but the more she read, the more she thought there might actually be some truth to the matter.

"Oh, Sarada-san," Sakura entered the break room holding her clipboard. "Are you on your break?"

"Yeah," Sarada nodded and closed the book. "I was caught up in this book and almost forgot to eat."

"Well, you should probably go eat something before you have to go back to it," Sakura sat down. She clicked on her pen to make the tip come out and began filling her clipboard with notes.

"Yeah, you're right," Sarada said and took out the bento Himawari gave her that morning. The food looked great, and she thanked Hinata in her heart for teaching her daughter how to cook so well.

"That looks great!" Sakura peeked at her bento. "Did you make that?"

"No, Himawari did," Sarada took out a pair of chopsticks and ate a small rolled omelet. "She's an amazing chef."

"I can see that," Sakura chuckled. "Does she make Boruto-san's lunches as well?"

"No," Sarada enjoyed some of the steamed vegetables. Himawari was truly an amazing chef. She could have probably opened her own restaurant. "He eats at his part-time job."

"He works?" Sakura sounded surprised. "What does he do?"

"He works in a ramen stand called Ichiraku," Sarada told her. She knew Sakura must know the place, but she has to fake ignorance. Act like she didn't know her mother went there with her teammates.

"Seriously?" Sakura laughed. Sarada frowned, confused. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that Boruto-san looks exactly like my friend, and now you're telling me he works were that knucklehead likes to eat?" Sakura's laughter dissolved into giggles. "It's just so ironic I can't help it."

"This friend of yours…" Sarada hesitated, pushing a few loose hair strands behind her ear. "Where is he now?"

"Oh," Sakura's smile faded slightly and placed her pen down. "He's on a training trip, I haven't seen him in almost three years."

"Wow," Sarada acted surprised. She already knew Naruto was out of the village since Boruto informed her about it. "Do you know when he's supposed to come back?"

"Well, Tsunade-sama said that he should be back sometime this month," Sakura said, "so hopefully I'll see him next week or the week after that."

Sarada gave her a supportive smile. "Well, I hope you'll see him again soon."

"Thanks, Sarada-san," Sakura picked up her pen and went back to writing. She glanced up at Sarada from her hunched position over her clipboard. "You know, I never actually asked you about yourself," she noted.

"Really?" Sarada thought back and realized that is true. She spent most of her time before avoiding Sakura, so it's pretty obvious why they never got to have any conversations over Sarada's past. _But it's not exactly a bad thing,_ Sarada thought. The more Sakura doesn't know, the less Sarada has to lie to her. "I guess not. But there's not much to tell either."

"Come on," Sakura was clearly interested. "There must be something! I mean, how did you even get to Konoha? I'm pretty sure I never saw you around before."

"Oh," Sarada bit her lip. "That's because I'm from somewhere else. We just got here a few weeks ago."

"Really?" Sakura propped herself on her elbows. "Just the three of you? What about your parents?"

"Well…" Sarada shifted on her chair. "That's part of the reason we came here. They… our village was attacked. Boruto, Himawari, and I were the only ones left."

Sakura froze, her eyes wide. "Oh my gosh, Sarada…!" Her green eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea…"

"It's okay," Sarada tried to reassure her. "You had no way of knowing. It's not your fault."

"Still," Sakura seemed ashamed. "I should have known better than to pry. I'm really sorry."

"It's alright," Sarada had the strange urge to laugh. How ironic is this? Here she was, trying to convince her mother's younger self it's not her fault for not knowing about her death. "I'm still trying to work through everything, but I'm better now, I promise."

"Are you sure?" Sakura placed her hand on Sarada's. "Because if you ever need someone to talk to…"

"I'm fine," Sarada half-assured, half-insisted. "Don't worry."

"Alright," Sakura didn't sound convinced, but she didn't press any further.

They went back to their work, Sakura with her notes and Sarada with her book. It reminded the Uchiha of the times when she was younger, and she read a book in the kitchen while her mother worked on her papers and files from the hospital. From time to time, Sakura would lift her head to look at Sarada and smile before going back to work. On the times her father would stay in the village, he used to sit next to Sarada and drink his tea, or read a scroll. There was no talking, but it was relaxing and comforting. Her father was not a man of many words, and while her mother could chat about any subject for hours, she often opted to stay quiet on those moments, no breaking the silence. They were in each other presence and it was enough.

Sarada smiled sadly as she remembered her parents. Her father might not have been best at conveying his emotions, but her mother understood him flawlessly. Sarada never understood the sentence 'eyes are the windows to the soul', but when she saw the way her father looked at her mother, she could see his love for her. His love for them both.

"Is everything okay?" Sakura asked her in concern.

"Yeah," Sarada sniffed. "Just remembered something, that's all."

"Alright." Sakura didn't push, and Sarada wasn't feeling like sharing.

They sat down at the table, Sakura with her notes, Sarada with her book. The chair next to Sarada was empty, and it felt as if someone was missing.

_It's always like this, isn't it?_ Sarada thought sadly. There was always someone missing.

* * *

"Neji-niisan!" Himawari tapped Neji's shoulder happily. He was sitting on the wooden floor of one of the many halls in the Hyūga Manor with a cup of tea in his hand, watching the koi fish in the small pond in the garden. "Sorry it took me long," She apologized.

"It's alright," Neji smiled softly at her. "Though your tea has gotten cold," he gestured to the cup of tea sitting in a tray next to him. Himawari took the cup in her hands and sipped from it. "It's still a bit warm," she told him. "So it's okay."

"Very well," Neji shook his head. "So, tell me, what was it that you wanted to speak to me about?"

"Well," Himawari looked out to the garden and taped her fingers on her cup in a rhythm. "I'd like you to train me, please."

"Train you?" Neji repeated after her in surprise. "In the Gentle Fist?"

"Yes," Himawari nodded. "I did get the basic training when I was a kid, but not a lot more afterward. I'd like to learn more."

"I understand that," Neji placed his cup back on the tray. "But what for?"

"I… think I'd like to go back to shinobi duty soon," Himawari said hesitantly. She looked up and saw Neji open his mouth with probably many arguments and comments and she raised her hand to stop him. "I know it's dangerous, and I know that the mission will probably not be what I'm used since this is a more dangerous era, but I want to try, please?"

Neji seemed perplexed and hesitant. He looked long at her, his gaze making her feel like he can look into her soul, but she didn't break eye contact with him, trying to broadcast to him through her eyes her resolve on the matter. A few beats of silence had passed before Neji looked away and sighed. "Very well," he said, picking up his cup and taking a long sip from it before putting it down again and looking at her. "I will train you-"

"Thank you so much, Neji-niisan!" Himawari hugged her uncle in excitement. Neji smiled and patted her back awkwardly before she let go of him and he cleared his throat.

"-but," he continued from where she cut him off, "there is one condition,"

"What is it?" Himawari tilted her head, waiting for the thing she needs to do to start her training.

"You need to tell your brother about your plans on going back to active duty," Neji told her, smiling a bit when he saw her face fall. "I know you didn't tell him about this, Himawari."

"But…!" Himawari tried to think of an argument but found none. "... alright, I'll tell him."

"Why hide it from him in the first place?" Neji asked her with a raised eyebrow. Himawari sighed, looking out on the garden and spotting a white butterfly flying around the roses. "Onii-chan's very protective of me," she explained to Neji whilst her eyes followed the butterfly on his track. "I don't want him to worry about me all of the time. But I know he won't want me to go back to being a kunoichi if he can't be there to protect me."

"Then why won't he just join too?" Neji sounded confused as to why the simple solution was overlooked. "From what you told me, he has more than average abilities. Why not use them?"

"Because he's still trying to decide whether to become a shinobi again or not," Himawari said, thinking of how many times she saw her brother looking at ninjas who were walking around the village this past week with a faraway look in his eye. "The trauma of what happened to us is holding him back."

"And what about you?" Neji looked at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What happened to you doesn't hold you back too?"

Himawari bit her lip. "It… rather than holding me back, it's what's pushing me ahead," she glanced at Neji and saw that he wanted her to elaborate. "When the attack happened, I was too weak to do anything… I don't want it to happen again. I want to be able to protect Onii-chan and Sarada."

Neji chuckled. "You want to protect_ them_?" He repeated after her in amusement. "I have a feeling if Boruto heard you, he'd disagree."

"Onii-chan still sees me as his defenseless little sister," Himawari pouted, thinking of her slightly overbearing big brother. "I know he means well, but I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure that's not true," Neji disagreed with her on the matter of her brother's faith in her. His lips twitched as if he was fighting a smile as he looked at her pouting. "I'm certain Boruto has complete faith in you and your abilities." He patted her shoulder in an uncle-y way and made her giggle. He might be older, but Neji was much more awkward than her when it came to physical contact. "Thanks, Neji-niisan," she grinned at him. "And I promise I'll talk with Onii-chan."

"Good," Neji nodded. He got up and offered her a hand. "Let's go, then,"

"Go?" Himawari rose to her feet with his help and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Where to?"

"To train, of course," Neji said nonchalantly and started walking in the direction of the private training ground the Hyūga Manor had.

"Train?" Himawari repeated after him, feeling like she was somewhat tricked. She followed behind him quickly, adjusting her steps to his. "But you said-"

"-that you need to talk to Boruto about training," Neji smirked, glancing at her sideways while he walked. "I didn't say that I won't train you until you spoke to him."

"You should have told me that!" Himawari felt a bit embarrassed at how her uncle played her.

"If I had, you wouldn't have promised that you will talk to your brother," Neji looked at her pointedly. "Would you?"

"I-..." Himawari sighed. "Maybe?"

"Himawari," Neji's tone was scolding. "You need to tell Boruto about important things like this. Didn't you promise him you will?"

"Yeah, I did," Himawari remembered her promise with Boruto and Sarada. She would never break it. "So you tricked me into making sure I'll talk to Onii-chan?"

"Something like that," Neji hummed and chuckled at her pouting. "It's not funny, Neji-niisan!" She blushed at the fact he fooled her.

"Yes, yes," Neji shook his head. "Do you want to train or not?"

"I do!" She exclaimed and ran after him, having gained a small distance during their talk.

She is going to get stronger and protect her family. No more a powerless little girl.

* * *

Boruto walked home from the ramen shop, hands in his pockets and jacket open. Working all day in the kitchen heated him up, and he was trying his best to cool off, even if it was the end of spring and the warm weather of the afternoon didn't help much.

Sarada should still be in the hospital, her shift ending around eight in the evening, and Himawari might still be at the Hyūga Manor, so the apartment was all his. The thought of going home to an empty apartment made him uncomfortable, not remembering what that was like. He always came home to his mother and sister, sometimes even his father. Going to an empty home was an unknown concept to him.

_Dad probably knows it, _he thought to himself sadly. His father grew up an orphan and unloved by the villagers, and always came home to an empty place.

That thought brought up more questions for him. He always wondered what his father was like when he was younger. From what his mother told him, he was energetic and hyperactive, which was impossible for Boruto to imagine. His parents' friends did say that Naruto had mellowed out a bit since their childhood, so maybe that was it. If he was being honest, the thought of seeing what his dad was like when he was his age was certainly exciting, seeing the legendary shinobi he grew up hearing stories about at his prime. But at the same time…

At the same time, the thought of meeting his father's younger self terrified him. What would he even say? He practically looks like the guy, so the best-case scenario, he looks like a weird fan. _Worst case scenario would probably be him recognizing me, _Boruto noted gloomily. _Not that that'll ever happen._

Contrary to what many people believed, Boruto didn't hate his dad. Sure, he wanted to punch his old man a few times here and there, but nothing else. His relationship with his father was… for a lack of a better word; complicated. They both loved each other but were never able to get their thoughts and feelings across unless it was a life-or-death situation, which, now that Boruto thought about it, was probably not a good thing.

He smiled, remembering all the times he and his father argued about silly things. His mother always told Himawari that that was Boruto's way to show his love and affection to someone. Boruto had to admit she did have a point there. He was always more of an action guy than a talker. Though he was not as reckless as his father in his youth, as people told him many times.

Not noticing where he was going, Boruto bumped into someone and was knocked down, his thoughts about his father scattering. "Are you alright?" The man he bumped into stood above him with his back against the sun, so Boruto couldn't see his face since it was hidden by the shadows He offered Boruto a hand, which he took and pulled himself up. Now able to see the man, Boruto looked him over while dusting his pants. The man was a black-haired fellow with black eyes and a simplistic wardrobe of a mesh shirt and black pants. He looked old, though probably not much older than Boruto himself. Boruto cleared his throat and offered his hand to him. "Thank you," he said with a nod. The man examined his face for a moment before taking his hand and shaking it. Boruto noticed the man was wearing a rather interesting ring on his right ring finger. The ring was silver with an engraved red stone inlaid on top. It was oddly familiar to him, but he couldn't pinpoint where he had seen it before. He shook the man's hand anyway and smiled, shaking the thoughts about the ring from his head. It was probably nothing anyway. He let go of the man and nodded at him, placing his hands in his pockets and continuing on his walk home, trying to think of something he can cook that won't burn down the kitchen in the process and yet still be edible, all thoughts about the ring gone from his mind.

The man watched the blonde walk away, standing in the middle of the street as the sun began to set. His ring gleamed when the rays of the sun hit it, making the word that was engraved on it to shine; "_scarlet_."

He turned his gaze to the sky, where a black crow flew above him, his hoarse call sending the man's thoughts back to his mission. And yet, a part of him wondered why that young man was so familiar to him.

* * *

**Author's note: **I wonder who this mystery man is? Hmmm…(the author is pretending she didn't make so obvious a three-year-old can guess it).

This chapter was fun to write, and yes, it is short, but that's because we're getting close to finishing the first arc. I'm excited! About Yūgo, yes, he is an OC. Is he important? Meh. He is important in some aspects, but you won't be seeing too much of him. I am only using him for plot purposes.

A bit about the chapter: this is where the process of healing and getting over the loss becomes less of torture and more of an acceptance. They're reminiscing, remembering, take the comfort of those close to him, and settling in some more.

I feel like I'm getting a good handle on Himawari's personality, which is great. Sarada is still a work in progress, and Boruto is a project I don't want to talk about(the author is now pretending she doesn't have a mental breakdown whenever she tries to write an interaction and feels like it's too OCC). I'm rewatching random episodes of the anime to get a feel for their characters in different scenarios. It's fun to write Neji since he is easy enough and a character that didn't get explored much during Shippuden.

Welp, I've rambled enough. Off I go!(jumps on a metaphorical horse that has "procrastination" written on it) don't forget to R&R, I read every review and answer them as fast as I can! I hope you enjoyed and see you next week!


	13. Mistakes

**Disclaimer: if I had ever owned Boruto or Naruto, you would know. Trust me.**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 13: Mistakes**

* * *

The Uchiha Compound was quiet, no soul to be seen. The full moon that shone above creating shadows that made the man's desire to stay hidden simple. He stuck to the dark allies and shortcuts he knew so well, maneuvering his way to the place he had not visited in many years.

The house he was looking for stood exactly where he remembered. If he hadn't known any better, he would think it was frozen in time, taken out of his hurting memory and made into a reality. But he knew better. He could notice the small changes here and there; more weeds at the front yard, rotting wood planks, creaking doors that were hanging on their hinges alone. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the house, his light footsteps still making noise while walking on the unwashed floors, exploring the abandoned rooms.

There was a room he didn't enter though. Not because it was sealed. He could break a seal like that in his sleep. No, he didn't enter that room because he knew the reason it was sealed. Instead, he decided to go back outside and observe the compound again. Walk the familiar trail he used to pace on.

Midway through the shopping district, he sensed it. Someone else was at the compound. Deciding to check who that was, he jumped up to one of the poles, moving to the next one. He followed the chakra presence, which seemed to be moving around almost hesitantly. He moved closer, making sure his chakra was masked and hidden. Not that he needed to make it wasn't, every shinobi in the village would be at his throat, but he felt the need to make sure. To be able to observe the person who so boldly walked into the Uchiha Compound.

_It might be a person who was dared by his friends,_ he thought but dismissed it immediately. Everyone knew not to go close to the compound, whether if it was because of the stories about the ghosts that allegedly hunted it, or just because the massacre drove others away. Either way, the person who walked into the compound must be very brave, or very stupid.

_It seems I'm about to find out._ He noticed that the person started to move in his direction. It was the middle of the night, and the moon did not supply much light to see, but luckily sight was never a problem for him. The person was finally close enough to walk under the streetlamp he was standing on, which was one of the only ones that still worked in the entire compound. As the person walked into the light, he finally saw their face.

It was a girl. A young woman, actually. She didn't seem older than sixteen and looked like a shinobi from the looks of her lean body and toned muscles. But what truly captured his attention was her black hair and eyes, framed by red glasses. Her pale skin reflected the light of the lamp, highlighting the dark color of her eyes even more as she stopped walking and looked up, right at where he stood. He held his breath as he watched her examine the spot he stood at mere seconds ago. If not for his quick response, she would have spotted him, which was near impossible for even the most trained trackers.

_Who is she?_ He wondered. The girl's eyes stayed glued to the post a few moments more before she tore her gaze away and continued to walk, shrugging off her suspicion.

He followed her as she made her way through the same trail he did, back to the large house he was in less than half an hour ago. She stood there, examining the house thoroughly. She eventually moved inside, treading carefully through the hallway. He stood outside the house and watched her back as she disappeared out of sight. Following her, this time with lighter footsteps than when he visited before, he tried to locate her chakra in the maze of a house. He frowned when realizing that he couldn't sense it anymore. He looked around, pushing his senses to extend their reach and locate the girl when suddenly all of his instincts screamed at him to turn around. He whirled around just in time to see the girl escaping outside with impressive speed. Could she have sensed him?

He moved after her, coming outside just as she reached the end of the street. He stood and watched her as she stopped moving and turned around swiftly to look at him, her hair whipping in the gust of the movement. The moon chose that moment to break out of the clouds, shining down on them. His breath caught in his lungs when he saw her eyes, looking at him fiercely from across the street.

They were bright red, three small comma signs spinning in them. _Sharingan._

He felt sudden dizziness enveloped him for a moment, and he identified that feeling like an attempt to trap him in a genjutsu. It was a good effort, but nothing he couldn't dispel in less than a few seconds. But by the time he did and looked up again, she was no longer there, her ability to mask chakra making it impossible for him to track her.

He stood there, trying to process what he had just witnessed. A smile slowly crept onto his features as his eyes glowed dangerously.

_What an interesting development_, he thought to himself and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Sarada sneaked into the apartment, closing the door behind her slowly to not make any noise. She took off her shoes and tiptoed down the hall to her and Himawari's bedroom, doing her best to avoid the creaking spots on the floor and wake either Boruto or Himawari up. The last thing she needed is for them to question her and find out she'd been sneaking out for the past few nights.

At first, she went out to get some air since she couldn't sleep, and somehow she found herself standing at the entrance to the Uchiha Compound. For three nights, she never went in, but she finally crossed the threshold to find out she was being followed by someone and bolting out of there before she could look around more.

Opening the door to the room slowly, she winced as it made a rather loud sound. Himawari's calm breath hitched for a moment and Sarada froze, not daring to move a muscle. She watched as Himawari turned around and readjusted herself before continuing to sleep soundly. Sarada let out a sigh of relief and stepped into the room when the door next to her opened.

"Sarada?" A sleepy-sounding Boruto looked at her from the small crack in the door. "What are you doing?" He whispered in confusion.

"Oh, um," Sarada had to think fast. She didn't have time to notice that he was only wearing shorts or the fact that the moonlight from his bedroom window hitting his back and making his toned muscles darker- "nothing!" She yelped nervously, pushing her very inappropriate thoughts down. "I just went to get a glass of water, that's all."

"And you wore a jacket to do that?" Boruto gave a skeptical look. She looked down and realized she was still wearing the jacket she was wearing outside.

"I… got cold," she lied, refusing to meet his eye. He'd see right through her otherwise. "Even though it's almost summer, the nights are still cold."

"Alright," it was clear that he wasn't buying any of it, but fortunately for her, he didn't push it. "Goodnight, then."

"'Night," she whispered back and watched as he closed the door to his room. She heard him walk a few steps and then the springs of his bed squeaked from the weight of something heavy falling on them. She entered her room and let out a nervous breath. Taking off her jacket, she hung it on the coat hanger and walked to her bed. She and Himawari were sleeping on the other side of the room again, thought their beds were closer than before. She sat down on her bed and stared outside the window, pondering the man who followed her earlier.

She was ashamed to admit it, but when their eyes met from across the street she thought for a moment he was her father, standing under the moonlight. Revealing her Sharingan was a stupid and implosive decision, but after feeling like someone was following her, she activated it just in case. But when he entered the house after her, she realized that he had an advantage over her in an unfamiliar environment. So she escaped outside, and he followed her. He looked so familiar, and something had been tugging at her mind ever since she saw his face, but she couldn't place that weird feeling she had.

A large yawn escaped from her lips before she could stop it and she rubbed her eyes tiredly. She finally took a day off like Himawari had begged her to do for almost a week, and it was already past midnight, meaning she was wasting sleep time over stuff she can't do anything about. She still had training with Tsunade the next day, but that couldn't be helped. Trying to think about something else, she tried to plan out what she'd do on the rest of her day to go to sleep and waking up at noon, having a nice, long shower and reading a book she borrowed from the hospital library with a hot cup of black tea. That sounds perfect.

Taking off her glasses and placing them on the nightstand next to her bed, Sarada crawled under her sheets and positioned herself on her side, looking at the gap between her bed and Himawari's. Her sight was blurry without her glasses, but she was able to make out her friend's sleeping form under the covers, moving rhythmically to her breathing. She tried to adjust her breaths, calm her heart and drift into sleep.

_But who was that guy?_ Her mind wouldn't leave the subject.

She didn't know, but if she ever saw him again, she'll be sure to find out.

* * *

Himawari had a morning routine she developed after careful planning and observing. It was almost sacred, and Boruto and Sarada both knew it was better not to disturb it. A routine-less Himawari was a scary one.

Every morning, she woke up at six, made her bed, washed up, and started making breakfast. Sarada would wake up at seven and lock herself in the bathroom for another ten minutes, so Himawari always used that time to coax her lazy older brother out of bed. Once he got up, she sent him to brush his teeth while she finished making breakfast and setting the table. Sarada would already be sitting on one of the chairs and sipping coffee, trying to shake off the residue of the sleepiness still present. Boruto would get out of the shower just as Himawari put the finishing touches on breakfast. Then they would all eat together, each getting ready for the day ahead. Sarada would then go out to start her shift at the hospital or her training with Tsunade for the day, and Boruto would get ready to go down to the ramen stand and help with setting up.

Today, though, Himawari made sure that she woke Boruto up after Sarada left for work, and had given him more than plenty of time in the bathroom. She tried to mentally prepare herself for the conversation she was about to have with him.

Her brother came out of his room with a towel draped over his shoulders, drying his hair. She made sure that the breakfast was made of stuff he liked, to try and soften him a bit.

"Everything looks great, Hima," he said as she placed a mug with hot tea in it in front of him and sat down nervously in the chair opposite of him. "Thank you for the food," they both clapped their hands together in prayer and picked up their chopsticks. Boruto started scarfing down his food, probably hungrier than usual since she woke him up past the usual mealtime. She closed her eyes and breathed in, relaxing.

"Um, Onii-chan?" Boruto looked up from his plate mid-chew. "Yeah?" He asked with a full mouth. Swallowing his food and clearing his throat, he spoke again, "what is it?"

"So," Himawari stopped for a moment but then continued, knowing she can't avoid the conversation forever, and the sooner the better. "I'm thinking about becoming a kunoichi."

Boruto, who was just chewing some salad, suddenly started to cough violently. She offered him his mug to help down the food stuck in his throat, and he took it**,** downing half the beverage in one swing. He placed the mug down and panted, his face flushed from the sudden choke. He looked at her with something akin to a glare. "_What?_" He hissed through gritted teeth.

Himawari was startled by his response but didn't waver. She expected something like this. "I want to become a shinobi of the village," she told him with a steady tone, her back straight. "I'm already training with Neji-niisan, and I'll talk to Granny Tsunade soon, too."

"Do you even realize what you're getting yourself into?" Boruto clenched his fist and looked at her in anger. "Himawari, this is much more dangerous than in our time! There's a war going on!"

"I know that!" Himawari did not back down. "But I know I can handle it. I'm old enough to make this decision by myself!"

"Then why did you even tell me about it?" Boruto pushed his chair away from the table and got up. "If you already made up your mind, why bother with making sure I'd know?"

"Because I promised not to hide anything from you or Sarada," Himawari reasoned. "I don't want to hide things from you two."

Boruto sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Himawari, it's not that I'm upset about you telling me about this. It's the fact that you decided that on your own without consulting with me first."

"But it's my decision," Himawari pushed a few stray strands of her hair behind her ear. "Why do I need to consult with you?"

"The same reason I wanted to consult with you before deciding if we should tell Naruto about who we are!" Boruto spun around and met her eyes, stunning her with the hurt displayed in his eye. "I'd never make an important decision like that without talking with you first, but you didn't even ask me about it. That's what's bothering me, Himawari."

"What are you talking about?" Himawari's eyes were wide. "Do you think we should tell Naruto about who we are?"

"I don't know!" Boruto threw his arms to the sides in a confused gesture. "That's why I wanted to talk to you," he ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier. "We need to talk to each other, Hima. This 'not hiding stuff from each other' won't work if we don't talk."

"I know," Himawari said softly. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you, Onii-chan." Boruto looked at her with something akin to remorse in his eye, the corner of his mouth moving upward slightly. He walked to her and placed a hand on her head, ruffling it a bit. "I'm sorry too," he apologized and looked at her in the eyes. "I guess I was just surprised by what you said, 'is all."

Himawari got up and pulled her brother into a bear hug, squeezing tightly. "Truce?" He asked her while patting her back. "Truce." She murmured into his shirt.

Boruto pulled away from her and smiled at her, his awkward stance and expression reminding her of him when he was younger and making her giggle. She thought about what he said for a moment while he picked up the dishes that fell when he abruptly stood up and placed them in the sink.

"I don't think we should tell him," Himawari told her brother who froze with his hand on its way to the tap. He glanced at her for a moment before going back to opening the tap and starting to wash the dishes, his hair hiding his face from her. "Oh?" Was all he said.

"Yeah," Himawari grabbed a moist towel and began wiping the table. "It would complicate things, and it wouldn't be fair to him. He doesn't know anything, and it's not like anything will change after he'll learn."

"I get it," Boruto's tone was indecipherable. "I don't think we should tell him either."

"Alright." Himawari placed the towel on the counter and glanced at Boruto as he scrubbed the plate in his hand with a sponge. "And about me being a shinobi?"

Boruto sighed, but stopped scrubbing, the water running over his unmoving hands. "I don't like it," he admitted to her, looking at the almost clean plate in his hand intensely. "But that's something that you want, right?"

Himawari nodded, even though she knew he wasn't looking at her. "Yes. I do."

"Then okay," Boruto went back to washing the plates a bit more aggressively than before. "Just… be careful, -ttebasa."

"I will," Himawari smiled in relief at her brother's surprising acceptance. "I promise."

"Good," Boruto still didn't turn to look at her. "Now, don't you have some training with Neji-niisan?"

"Oh, you're right!" Himawari didn't notice how late it was getting. She's going to be pretty late. "I have to go!"

"Have fun," Boruto told her, turning the tap off.

"Thanks, Onii-chan!" Himawari waved him goodbye before running out of the kitchen. "You're the best!"

Boruto watched her go with a frown. "Am I?" He asked the room.

* * *

Sarada left the training ground with sore limbs and a slight limp in her steps. Tsunade was ruthless, that's for sure. She pitied her mother for having had to deal with this kind of training for over three years when barely two weeks into it she felt like quitting.

Luckily for her, Tsunade gave her the rest of the day off since she had spent over half of her chakra on the spar. It was noon, the sun in the center of the sky emitting scorching heat that should not be around for at least another month or so.

A crazy idea came to her mind, and she could already hear how Boruto would berate her for doing this. Over the years their rules had really turned. She used to be the one who would scold or berate him for doing something stupid, but over the years he became much calmer and calculated than he used to be. So much so that anything even remotely reckless she did seem much more dangerous or stupid. She hoped it was a temporary thing, but it was also nice to see how mature Boruto had become over time. He used to be bratty and immature when they were in the academy together and even afterward on missions. It was only after the chunin exams when he started acting more like a shinobi. Even saying he'll become her right-hand man…

She shook those thoughts out of her head with slightly heated cheeks. The point of those thoughts was that what she was about to do might be an unnecessary risk to their stay in Konoha, but she felt compelled anyway.

Existing the convenience store with a plastic bag in her hand, she shielded her eyes from the sunlight with her hand and almost missed the sight of a shadowy figure slipping away from the place. She had a feeling that figure was following her, though they were so good that if she didn't have the tracking abilities her father had taught her to utilize, she might have never picked up on it. And even then she had to concentrate pretty hard to locate whoever it was.

Deciding to not worry about that for now and allow whoever it was to reveal themselves to her later, she proceeded on walking to her destination.

The Uchiha Compound in daylight made a different impression. It wasn't as intimidating and made her feel comfortable. She could almost see the lifestyle of those who lived there at one point. Walking inside after making sure no one was looking, she looked for a place to sit. She walked around for a while, searching for the perfect place. Finally, she stumbled upon a lake with a deck leading to it. She went down the small hill and sat down, placing her bag next to her and looked over the water. The lake was quite big, and the sun reflecting in the water was almost blinding. She swung her legs off the deck and breathed in the clean air. Closing her eyes, she tried to soak in the moment, leaving all of her depressing thoughts and just being where she was.

The sound of light footsteps approaching from behind her might not have even been heard if not for the old wood of the deck creaking under them. She didn't turn around, instead opting to stay with her eyes closed and unmoving. "So," she said as the steps came to a halt a few feet away from her. "Are you the one who's been following me?"

"I'm surprised you even noticed I was there," a male voice answered. It was deep and low, reminding Sarada of how her father used to speak.

"It wasn't easy," Sarada admitted. "I had to stretch all of my senses just to locate your general area. Mind telling me why you're following me?"

"What are you doing in the Uchiha Compound?" He asked, his presence making her feel comfortable and on edge at the same time. Who was he?

"I could ask you the same thing," she said, opening her eyes and looking at the sky. "Though I doubt you'd tell me."

"Who are you?" The shift in the air was palpable. She could almost feel his guard rise up.

"Again, I could ask you the same," Sarada pushed her glasses up her nose. "But I guess that it doesn't really matter which of us goes first."

She turned to look at him, only to have her breath taken away from her completely. All she could do was stare wide-eyed at the man standing in front of her. The man she only saw in old photos, the one who her father barely ever mentioned and nobody else was allowed to talk about. The silent hero.

Itachi Uchiha.

* * *

"Did you talk to Boruto?" Neji asked his niece while they were resting on the outskirts of the training ground. It was around noon, and they had just finished a long training session. Himawari was quite capable of using her Byakūgan and the gentle fist, though her movement did lack the elegant flow of the Hyūgas. Overall, nothing he couldn't fix after a few sparring sessions.

"Mhm," Himawari took a large sip from her water.

"And…?" Neji looked at her expectantly.

"He said it was okay," she told him happily. "He didn't like it, but he said that if it's what I want it was okay."

Neji took a moment to process what she had told him and another moment to realize what Boruto must be feeling, making him sigh internally. His nephew and niece might love each other, but too much love can make you blind.

"I'm afraid I must go, Himawari," Neji got up and looked down at his niece. Himawari looked at him in surprise. "Eh?" She got up as well, forehead scrunched in confusion. "Why?"

"I have something I need to do," he said, looking at the sun briefly. During this time of the day, Boruto would either be at work or training. He'd need to pass by Ichiraku's to see if he's there before moving to look through the other training grounds.

"Alright," Himawari smiled and gave Neji a quick hug. "Thank you for today, Neji-niisan!"

Neji smiled and patted her back. "Of course," he looked at his niece. The girl who had managed to make her way to his heart in less than two weeks. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Yup!" She started to gather her discarded things and he turned in the direction of the ramen shop.

He needed to have a chat with his nephew.

* * *

Itachi watched the girl in front of him with mild surprise. She had black hair and eyes, as well as red-framed glasses. Something about her face tugged at his memory, but he paid it no mind. The moment her eyes met his eyes, they widened and looked… bewildered? It was almost as if she couldn't process what she was seeing.

It was probably the normal response to seeing one of the most famous S-rank missing-nin in the whole five nations in front of someone, but it didn't feel that way to him. There was something more to it.

"Who are you?" He asked her again. He could see how she tensed up at that question, her eyes still not leaving his face.

"I… um," she licked her lips and gulped. "I'm Sarada." Her back straightened up like she was steeling herself.

"Tell me, Sarada," he repeated her name, wondering why the feeling of nostalgia washed over him. "Why were you in the Uchiha Compound last night?"

"That's because…" her eyes left him and wandered around as if they were looking for an escape from the conversation. "I've wanted to visit it my entire life." She told him, her voice wavering a little. She didn't lie, he could tell. But somehow, it wasn't the entire truth either.

"Why?" His hand sneaked to his kunai holster, just in case.

"My family died a long time ago, and I never got to meet them. I heard about the Uchiha and thought it was similar to what happened to me so…" there it was again. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth. What did she mean?

"You're Itachi Uchiha, right?" Her sudden question shook him out of his thoughts. "The S-rank criminal?"

Itachi didn't answer that. He knew she already knew who he was. The only question was, what was she going to do about it?

He sighed and activated his Sharingan, waiting to see her shock become paralyzed fear. Instead, her expression became captivated. They looked at each other, onyx meeting red, for a few moments before Itachi decided that it was time. If she wasn't willing to tell him who she was or what she was doing, he'd find out another way.

"Tsukuyomi," he said softly, invoking the genjutsu on her. He blinked, and there they were, surrounded by a sea of red with no end to it. She jumped away from him and looked around, startled.

"Where are we?" She asked him, though he noted it was peculiar that her tone was more curious than scared or suspicious.

"Inside a genjutsu," he explained shortly. He was never much for talking. "Now, cooperate."

She swallowed, but looked him straight in the eyes and stood tall. There was no longer any trace of fear in her stance, only determination and resolve. "Why are we here?"

"Tell me who you are, and what your connection is with the Uchiha," he saw her freeze for a moment and knew he was right. She was connected to the Uchiha in some way.

"I can't," she told him with clenched teeth. "It's complicated."

"Are you with Orochimaru?" He asked her and watched as her face morphed into confusion and disgust. "Did he create you?"

She shivered. "I'm not," she told him, clenching her fists. "Believe me, you couldn't be more wrong about that."

"You have the Sharingan," he didn't ask, he stated a fact. She flinched but didn't contradict him, so he knew he was right yet again. "How?"

She looked away from him, seemingly nervous. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," she said quietly.

He watched her unmoving for a few moments. She didn't seem like a person with bad intentions, and in her eyes, he could see the pain she tried to hide. Her answers were truthful so far, even if she hid some of the information from him. But still, for her to have the Sharingan, it wasn't something he could just ignore. He concentrated for a moment and the scenery changed. They were in an apartment now. It looked small, but enough to house a family. She jumped at the sudden change of place and her eyes widened as she looked around. "W-what…?" She whispered in shock. "What is this?" She looked to him for answers. He looked around and examined the place. It was a kitchen and a dining room with a table. It was clearly being habituated by people, seeing framed photos on the walls and books on the shelves.

"I used the genjutsu to bring you to a place you consider comfortable and safe," he explained while glancing at her. She seemed torn between reactions. "This is not real but is an exact replica from your memories. Is this your home?"

"It was," she sounded sad as she walked to the dining room table and tried to place her hand on top of it, only for it to go through it like air. "But it doesn't exist anymore."

"Why do you have the Sharingan?" He asked her again, watching as she sighed and turned to him.

"The reason I have the Sharingan is not one that is easy to process," she said to him, her expression and tone serious. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Itachi didn't answer her and just stared at her silently. She took his silence as an affirmation. "Alright," she closed her eyes and opened them, this time there were three spinning commas in a wheel of red. "My name is Sarada Uchiha, and I'm the daughter of Sasuke Uchiha, your younger brother, from the future."

He stood in front of her and calmly processed what she had told him. Time travel, while never proven, was not impossible. It would also explain why she had the Sharingan. But that wasn't why considered believing her.

Sasuke. She said she was the daughter of his little brother. He finally understood why she looked so familiar to him. He saw his little brother in her. Her resolved and confident stance, her unwavering even from the sight of his Sharingan, a feat many adults twice her age had barely managed.

He was never one to judge a person just based on what other people said, and while many others in his place would probably dismiss her words, Itachi didn't think she was lying to him.

"Do you have any way to prove it?" She looked relieved at the fact he didn't dismiss her words immediately. Placing her chin in her palm, she held her elbow while thinking. "Well," she looked around them. "You said we're in my memories, right?"

He nodded and she clasped her hands behind her back. "Then, all we need to do is watch one of my memories, of course."

Itachi agreed with her. It was a good plan. He knew that if she tried to trick his Sharingan, he would see right through her deceit. Looking over one of her memories will help clarify if she was speaking the truth or not. "Very well," he said, making her smile. He couldn't help but notice how similar the way she smiled was to how his little brother used to smile when he was a child.

"What do I need to do?" She asked him, walking away from the table. "In order to show you."

"I will use my Tsukuyomi on you again, and this time I will try to have you relive a random memory from this place." He told her as he prepared the necessary chakra for the genjutsu. She nodded and deactivated her Sharingan, looking him in the eyes. He cast the genjutsu, and instead of using her worst fear against her like he would do an enemy, he tried to pull one of those she cherished.

A memory came to life around them, still the same apartment, but this time there were two half-transparent women in it with them. One of them was a younger version of Sarada, while the other was an older woman with pink hair and vibrant green eyes, a purple diamond mark located exactly in the center of her forehead. They were both wearing red, the woman was in a red dress with the Uchiha crest on the back, and the young Sarada was wearing a red shirt with the crest on the back as well. The woman was working in the kitchen, hovering over a pot as she stirred it, and Sarada was setting the table. The Sarada next to him gasped as she saw the memory come to life, her eyes locked on the pink-haired woman Itachi assumed was her mother.

"Mama," she whispered in a trembling voice. Itachi saw tears forming in the corners of her eyes but said nothing. He continued to watch her younger version as she set the table. They were only two, but she was placing another plate down.

"Sarada," the woman called over the stove. "Did you make sure to put another plate?"

"I did," the young Sarada rolled her eyes with a smile. "You're too nervous Mama. He's just coming home, and he wasn't even gone for that long."

The older Sarada next to him gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Perhaps she recognized the memory.

The woman laughed and turned off the stove, taking the pot off it. "I know, I know," she took out three bowls from one of the cabinets above her and poured the red soup into them. "But I can't help it. I'm just happy we're all going to eat together as a family."

"Me too," her daughter assured her. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be here soon." As if on cue, a ringing sound was heard from the hallway and both Sarada and her mother looked over in that direction. Itachi also looked to that direction, though older Sarada's focus was solely on her mother. Her younger self walked to the hallway with a skip in her step and a smile. A few seconds later, a man's voice was heard from the hallway. "I'm home."

Itachi had never thought that hearing his little brother's voice would surprise him as much as it did. He heard young Sarada welcome her father home and noticed how the woman in the kitchen was now fussing over the soup. Young Sarada walked back in the room, a larger smile on her face. "Mama, Papa's back!" She declared as if announcing they had won a prize. The woman turned around just a man walked into the room behind Sarada, cloaked in a black cape and barefoot. Itachi couldn't believe how much his brother had grown. His features had matured, and his hair grew longer, covering the entire left side of his face. He had grown much taller since the age of thirteen, even slightly surpassing Itachi himself with his height.

Sasuke looked at his wife and smiled lightly. "I'm home, Sakura," he told her and she beamed at him, blushing slightly. "Welcome home, Sasuke-kun."

They stared at each other for a few seconds until younger Sarada cleared her throat. "Ahem," she gave them a scolding look. "Please try to remember there's a child in the room."

Sakura blushed furiously and started to wave her hands frantically. "Sarada!" She called out mortified.

Sasuke didn't move, but Itachi had known his brother well enough to notice how his ears were tinged red and how he was avoiding looking at his wife and daughter. Older Sarada next to him giggled and he turned to look at her, surprised to see tears streaming out of her eyes and covering her cheeks. She was laughing at the scene before her and wiping the tears from her face at the same time. Not for the first time, Itachi wondered if Tsukuyomi could only ever bring its target pain, no matter what memory or method was used. While what they were watching was a happy scene, Sarada was hurting.

Glancing back at Sasuke's face, Itachi took comfort in the fact that his little brother will one day be surrounded by a loving family again. Closing his eyes, he ended the memory projection, leaving them in the empty apartment they started at. Sarada looked around again, searching for her parents and her younger self. "I ended the memory," he told her. She looked at him in confusion. "Why did you do that?" She asked him, wiping the remnant of her tears from her face. He didn't answer, instead of letting his gaze wander around the apartment as he did before projecting the memory. looked at a drawer that stood next to a wall a few steps away from them and walked towards it. On the drawer were a few framed photos, but he focused on the one that drew his eye the most. It was of Sasuke and his wife, Sakura, with young Sarada. They were all standing together and smiling at the camera. His brother looked at peace, and Itachi couldn't help but be assured that his little brother would find the peace he deserved in the end. Knowing that was like a gift he was not worthy of receiving.

"That was taken when I was eleven," Sarada looked at the picture from behind his arm. "It was the first time Papa stopped by the village that I could remember. Mama was so happy, she could barely concentrate on anything." Her tone was sad and nostalgic, and Itachi could see in her eyes that speaking of her parents pained her.

"What happened to them?" She tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and turned her back to the photos, looking at the space she had once called her home. "They died not too long ago."

So Sasuke and his wife were gone. Sarada's parents were gone. He knew the feeling. "I'm sorry to hear that," he told her quietly, not knowing what to do. Should he try to comfort her?

"It's okay," she looked at him over her shoulder and gave him a small smile. "It's not like it's your fault."

"Did Sasuke…" Itachi's words died out on his lips. He shouldn't ask that. Sarada looked at him, puzzled. Her expression suddenly cleared like she had an idea, and she walked closer to him. "Um, I-Itachi?" She said his name hesitantly, articulating all of the syllables slowly.

He was almost startled by the sudden use of his name. True, Sarada was his niece, so it was probably natural for her to call him by name.

"Yes," he turned to her, his red Sharingan meeting her onyx eyes. "What is it?"

"Do you think, I could show you another memory?" She asked shyly, her eyes darting from the apartment floor to him.

Time in Tsukuyomi moved much slower than in the real world, so Itachi didn't see why she couldn't, though he was intrigued as to the sudden change. "What did you want to show me?" He inquired, deactivating his Sharingan. She saw the deactivation as an invitation to activate hers. He watched as it spun to life, wondering what kind of pain would she have had to go through in order to awaken their clan's red eyes. She breathed in and cast the genjutsu on him, pulling him into an illusion inside the illusion.

The room they were in changed and Itachi recognized it was probably the living room, with a blue couch and more bookshelves. There were two transparent figures in the room beside them, a younger Sarada who was browsing the bookshelves and Sasuke, who was reading a small scroll in his lap, this time without his cape covering him. Itachi noticed that Sasuke didn't have his left arm, the sleeve on that side hanging loose and empty. His little brother bore a striking resemblance to their father, and Itachi could almost hear their mother gushing about how handsome her son had grown up to be.

"Ah!" Projection Sarada had apparently found the book she had been searching for, pulling out a photo album and made her way to sit next to her father, cracking open the book and looking over it. A movement from his right made him look at the real Sarada who walked behind the couch to peer over her father and younger self's shoulders. Itachi moved to stand next to her, scanning the page of the album they were all staring at. The photo it had was of Sasuke and Sakura when they were younger, perhaps twelve or thirteen. Sakura's pink hair was shorter than Itachi had seen in the previous memory, and she had her arms linked with Sasuke's arm. Sasuke's hands were in his pockets and it was clear he wasn't very happy about the pink-haired girl openly clinging to him by the slight scowl he had. Sakura didn't seem to notice(or mind), as she smiled cheerfully at the camera. Young Sarada giggled at the picture, tilting it more in her father's direction for him to have a better view. "Papa," she pointed at his figure in the photo. "You look really miserable." She chuckled again when he glanced at the photo and averted his eyes, his mouth making a similar scowl to the one he had as the kid in the photo.

The memory Sarada ignored her father's expression and continued to flip through the album, in search of something. "What are you looking for?" Sasuke asked her, scanning the pages she's been going through quickly.

"Well," young Sarada closed the book in a frustrated huff. "There aren't any photos of Grandfather or Grandmother anywhere. I already looked through all of the other albums. This was the last one."

Itachi blinked, surprised. Why was she looking for those photos?

Sasuke had apparently thought the same thing as Itachi. "Why would you be looking for those?" He placed his scroll aside and completely focused on his daughter.

"It's just…" Sarada sighed, stretching her fingers over the hardcover of the photo album. "I don't even know my own origin as an Uchiha. I guess I wanted to know who they were."

Sasuke stared at her for a moment with a blank expression before getting up and walking out of the room without saying a thing.

Itachi used that opportunity to look at the real Sarada and see what she was doing. He found her staring longingly at the door her father just walked through, her eyes clouded. "When I was growing up, they concealed what happened to the Uchiha, so I never knew what happened," she explained, not looking at him. "Mama did her best to explain, but she didn't want me to hear all of the unpleasant stuff before I was old enough, so I always figured she was lying to me. I had a hard time trusting people." She gestured to her younger self who was sitting on the couch and drumming her fingers on the album cover. "Even after I met Papa, I still had a lot of questions about the things they were hiding from me. Instead of lessening, it was like my questions multiplied. Eventually, I stopped wondering about the reasons behind why people kept things from me, and more about my family like I did here."

Itachi listened to her explanation and tried to imagine her as a child, confused about her bloodied last name and mysterious past of her clan. It wasn't that much different from how he grew up, though nobody ever bothered to hide things from him when he was a child.

Sasuke came back to the room, a small photo album with a grey cover in his hand. The album looked vaguely familiar to Itachi, and he tried to remember where he had seen it before. Sasuke sat down next to his daughter and placed the album in her lap. "What is this?" She asked him, surprised.

"It's a photo album that once belonged to my mother," Sasuke told her, and Itachi finally remembered where he had seen the book before. Their mother used to sit down some afternoons and look over the photos of them together. He had always enjoyed seeing her happy like she was in those moments of quiet.

"Grandmother's?" Young Sarada looked at the book in awe. She turned the book on it's back, where a small Uchiha Fan crest was embedded in the leather cover. "Can I open it?" She asked her father eagerly.

Sasuke nodded. "Aa." he watched her flip the book open, seeing the first photo that covered the entire page. It was a photo of Mikoto and Fugaku, standing next to each other while Mikoto held a young Sasuke in her arms and Itachi stood before his father. Young Sasuke and Mikoto were smiling happily at the camera while Fugaku maintained a seemingly pleased expression. Preteen Itachi had a small smile on his face, standing in front of his family as if to protect them.

"Is that Grandmother and Grandfather?" Young Sarada asked her father while touching her grandparents' faces with her fingertips. Sasuke nodded, also engrossed in the photo. Itachi looked at the photo with guilt eating away at him. His little brother's expression was so happy in this photo. He ruined this smiling boy when he had killed their parents and the entire clan. He took away the thing he wanted to protect the most. "Grandmother is so beautiful," Sarada said, looking at Mikoto's smiling face. "She was," Sasuke agreed with her. "She was beautiful and kind, and never raised her voice."

"What about Grandfather?" Sarada moved to look at her grandfather, standing with his arms crossed and a serious look in his eyes. "What was he like?"

"He was the head of the clan and the chief of the Uchiha Police Force," Sasuke's gaze became faraway. "He was a serious man and unshaken in his beliefs. He had the respect of the clan members and ours, his family."

Sarada moved her finger to young Itachi's face. "What about him?" She asked. "That's your older brother, right?"

Next to him, Sarada grabbed his sleeve and sent him a small smile of a secret conspirator, signaling him to listen closely. "That's him, yes," Sasuke answered. "His name was Itachi."

_Was,_ Itachi realized. So in the future he already has…

"What was he like?" Sarada asked her father. Sasuke paused for a second before smiling softly, something Itachi had never seen him do. "Niisan was a kind person," he said, surprising Itachi. Why would Sasuke describe him like that? "He bore a lot of pain and carried an unimaginable burden with him. He was a hero."

Itachi watched his brother tell Sarada about him, saddened. This wasn't what he had planned. He wanted Sasuke to be the hero, to kill him and be celebrated. He had never planned for his brother to find out the truth.

"If that's the case, why isn't he listed as one in the records?" The transparent Sarada asked, reexamining her uncle's face with a curious look in her eyes.

"Even heroes make mistakes," Sasuke sounded like he was speaking from experience. Sarada looked up at him in wonder, but his expression was blank, making it difficult to read.

"How did he die?" Sasuke's mouth morphed into a grim line, and his lone visible eye was ridden with guilt. "I made a mistake."

There was silence for a few minutes afterward, Sarada looking flipping the pages of the album carefully as if in fear they might crumble under her fingers. Sasuke stared into space, deep in his thoughts. Next to Itachi, the older Sarada gazed at her father with longing, a sad look in her eyes. Itachi had understood what Sasuke meant by his mistake. He had killed Itachi already, probably before he had found out the truth about what truly happened during the Uchiha massacre. He wondered when it would happen. In Itachi's time, Sasuke was about to turn sixteen in a couple of months' time. This Sasuke looked to be around his late twenties, early thirties. And Sarada had apparently been born much later after Itachi was killed, so making a quick calculation in his head, Itachi realized that he must have been killed when Sasuke was in his late teens. Sometime in the next three years, he was going to die at the hands of his younger brother, like he had hoped and planned forever since he had killed their clan and deserted the village eight years ago. Yet, seeing how his brother was talking about his death like it was a painful event and not a great accomplishment, it made Itachi feel… odd. His plan didn't work the way he wanted but had a similar outcome to what he had hoped for. And yet, it somehow didn't feel right.

"Hey, Papa?" Memory Sarada's voice made him place his thoughts in the back of his head. "Do you think that if he met me… Itachi would have liked me?" The question surprised both Sasuke and Itachi. He glanced at his niece who was standing right beside him and saw that she wasn't looking at him, the tips of her ears tinged slightly red. _She's embarrassed_, he realized.

"Maybe," Sasuke answered honestly. "I don't know."

Seeing Sarada's eyes drop, Sasuke exhaled air from his nose with a little huff and smiled gently, a smile Itachi guessed was reserved for Sarada alone. Sasuke placed his index finger and middle finger in the middle of Sarada's forehead and tapped it, making Sarada blush slightly and touch her forehead. Itachi remembered that. He used to do that to Sasuke when he apologized for not being able to play with him due to missions. Seeing Sasuke using it on his own daughter had brought back the odd feeling from before. Itachi was able to identify it this time. It was pride. Pride and sorrow.

He was proud of his little brother for accomplishing everything he had hoped for. But at the same time, he felt sorrow for not being able to be there and witness Sasuke grow up and become an adult. Get married and have kids. It was painful.

A hand tugged on his sleeve, and when he turned his head he saw Sarada smile at him hesitantly. "Let's go?" She motioned with her head towards the fading walls as the memory came to an end. Itachi nodded and activated his Sharingan, dispelling Tsukuyomi and pulling Sarada and him out of it.

They were back on the dock where they stood before he cast the genjutsu, and according to the sun, only a few minutes have passed since they entered the genjutsu.

Sarada looked around to see they were back and breathed in deep, wiping a single tear from her cheek. "So," she turned to Itachi. "I guess you're my uncle." She smiled awkwardly at him, and he felt the need to smile back. He allowed the corner of his mouth to lift slightly, seeing her relax a little at his returned gesture.

"It's nice to meet you, Itachi," She moved forward but her feet bumped into her plastic bag where she left it. She looked down and picked it up, reaching inside. She pulled out a few Dango dumplings on sticks. She raised them in front of Itachi and smiled. "Do you have time to talk?" She asked him. "I could use somebody to share these with."

Itachi nodded. "I'm not needed back for another couple of hours," he said and watched her sit down at the edge of the dock. She turned her head to him and raised her eyebrow. "What are you waiting for?" She gestured for him to sit next to her. Itachi exhaled but smiled. She reminded him of how Sasuke acted when he was young. Sitting down next to her, he tried to remember when was the last time he had come here. He vaguely remembered stopping by the lake with Izumi a few months before the massacre.

Sarada handed him a Dango and he took it from her slowly, examining the sweet.

"It's store-bought, so not as good as the Dango stand ones," Sarada commented after trying one. "But it's not so bad."

Itachi tried one and silently agreed with her. "Do you like Dango?" Sarada asked him curiously.

Itachi nodded. "I enjoy them," he told her while looking on the two colorful dumplings left on the stick in his hand. Their legs were dangling off the edge of the dock and almost touching the water.

Sarada placed one of her hands that weren't holding the Dango behind her and leaned back on it for support. "Can you… tell me about yourself?" She looked at him hesitantly. Itachi considered her request for a few moments before deciding that nothing bad can come of it. As long as he's careful with details about the Akatsuki or the massacre, he should be good.

"What would you like to know?" Her smile widened and leaned forward, her eyes shining.

"Let's see…"

* * *

Neji found Boruto throwing shuriken at a tree. It was not an easy fit to locate his nephew, seeing as the blonde could have been in one out of over forty training grounds after the option of him working at Ichiraku's was cleared. The blue-eyed teen had been mumbling stuff under his breath while throwing the shurikens at the target hung on the tree in front of him. All of them hit the mark, and Neji noted how little attention Boruto was actually giving the target or the weapons in his hand. He was likely too caught up in his thoughts to notice.

"Boruto," he called out his nephew, surprising the blonde so much he missed the target for the first time since Neji arrived at the training ground.

"Neji-niisan," Boruto looked over his shoulder at Neji. "What's up?" He walked over to the target and started to take out his weapons.

"Why won't you become a shinobi again?" Neji addressed the problem head-on. His nephew had the skills and the right mindset to be an incredible shinobi, and from what he had heard from Himawari, Boruto already was one. So why wouldn't he want to be one again?

Boruto sighed and leaned his body against the tree, looking at Neji. "I was supposed to be the village protector," he said, his gaze moved away from Neji to somewhere over his shoulder. "Follow in my master's footsteps. Become the Hokage's right hand and all." He waved his hand dismissively at his own words, moving from the tree closer to Neji.

"So what happened?" He pressed the blonde, waiting.

"I wasn't there when the attack happened," Boruto might have said that with a shrug, but Neji could see how much saying that was really affecting him. The tension in Boruto's shoulders, the clenched fists, and the self-loathing expression. "And when I got back, it was already too late."

"I understand that," Neji crossed his arms. "But what about now, shouldn't you be able to start over here?"

"I don't want to start over!" Boruto snapped at him. Neji looked at him sternly but internally nodded. This is what he was looking for. To solve a problem, you need to get to the root of it.

"Why don't you want to be a shinobi and protect this village?" He pushed harder, wanting to help Boruto see. For him to understand.

"Because it's not my village!" Boruto yelled, throwing his arms around dramatically. "It's a place we got transported by accident! I don't know where I am, or what I'm supposed to be here. I don't want to be a shinobi of a village I don't know!"

_Oh,_ Neji uncrossed his arms. "You don't want to replace your village with another, even if it is the same one."

Boruto shook his head and looked down, his bangs hiding his face. "That's not it. What kind of protector would I be…" his voice trembled and his hand was clenched into a fist. "If I couldn't even protect my home?"

"You'd be human," Neji noted calmly, and Boruto glanced up at him. "Humans make mistakes. Shinobi make mistakes. It's part of life."

"You call not being able to protect my village a mistake?" Boruto's eye glowed dangerously.

"No," Neji shook his head. "I'm saying that you weren't the only one who tried to protect it. Sarada-san and Himawari, your Hinata-sama and Naruto, as well as all of the other shinobi in the village, did their best to protect it. You weren't alone then, nor are you now."

Boruto turned to face Neji, revealing the tears streaming out of his only eye. The pained expression he made told Neji how much guilt his nephew had been holding inside him. With two large steps, he closed the distance between him and Boruto and pulled the blonde into a hug, the latter burying his head into his shoulder. Neji imagined Boruto didn't cry often in front of others, especially not in front of Himawari or Sarada-san. He'd been suppressing his feelings about everything that had happened, maybe he wasn't even aware he was suppressing them.

"Why won't you become a shinobi again?" Neji asked quietly.

"Because I don't want to see how I couldn't protect my home again," Boruto said, pulling away from Neji. "I don't want to see anybody else get hurt and know I could've stopped it. If Himawari were to go on missions and get hurt, I don't know if I could handle it. I want to protect her and everybody else, but I don't want to fail again. To disappoint them all again."

"Your problem is that you think that you're alone," Neji told him with a sigh. "You have people here that will always be there to support you, Boruto. All you need to do is let them."

"I know," Boruto gave Neji half a smile. "Thanks, Neji-niisan."

"No problem," Neji smiled at his nephew. "You know you can come to me if you ever need to talk to someone. I'd be happy to listen."

Boruto nodded and grabbed his things. "Come on," he told Neji. "I'm sure Hima would like to have you over for dinner."

Neji nodded and followed Boruto. He knew the pain and sorrow that the blonde felt wouldn't all just disappear in a moment, but it was a start. Who knows, maybe he'll even return to being a shinobi again, eventually.

Only time will tell.

* * *

Sarada and Itachi walked outside of the Uchiha Compound, the setting sun casting its red light all over the village.

She and Itachi had talked about a lot of things that afternoon, from her life in her time with her parents to his childhood memories. They didn't go too much into what happened with the Uchiha massacre since she knew it was a sensitive subject for him. Besides, she already knew the basic details from her father. He didn't ask about what brought her to this time either. They just spent some time getting to know each other. Her uncle was truly an interesting man, and she was happy that she finally got to meet him.

"Tell me something," Itachi turned his head to her. "Your sight, how is it?"

"My sight?" Sarada pushed her glasses up her nose in instinct. "It's not the best, why?"

"I meant, how has it been recently? Any moments of fuzziness, or sudden pains?" Itachi examined her face closely as if he was searching for something.

"Um, yeah," she nodded. "It did happen later, but it's probably just the fatigue from all of the shifts in the hospital catching up with me." She waved it off, not worried. Itachi looked like he was about to say something, but decided against it. They walked another few minutes in quiet before Sarada decided to bring up something she's been wondering about for a while.

"You know, you never told me why you came to the village," she noted as they walked side by side.

"I came here to check if Naruto Uzumaki had already returned," he said, looking at the road.

"Oh, he won't be back until-" he raised his hand and stopped her from saying another word.

"Sarada," he gave her a stern look. "After I leave today, we will be on opposite sides. You shouldn't reveal important information to your enemy."

Sarada frowned. "But you're not my enemy," she clenched her fists. "You're my uncle. Why should I care whether you're in the village or not?"

"I am with the Akatsuki for a reason, but as long as I am a member, I shall act like one too," Itachi was serious, his tone indicating that part wasn't negotiable.

"But-" Sarada opened and closed her mouth, knowing there is nothing she could say in this situation. "Alright, but are we really going to be enemies?" She asked with a little desperation.

Itachi chuckled. "Only when we're in front of my partner or the shinobi of the village," he told her. "When we're alone, we can act however we please."

"Alright," Sarada sighed, her shoulders dropping. "When will I get to see you again?"

"I don't know," he looked at the sun, measuring its place in the sky. "But I'm sure it wouldn't be too long."

When Sarada still looked dejected, he smiled at her, raising his hand to be in front of her face. She looked up to look at him just as he poked her forehead with his fingers. Her eyes widened as she recognized it from all of the times her father and mother did it. She smiled back at him and touched where his fingers met her head, knowing she'll cherish this moment in her heart for a long time to come.

"Until next time, Sarada." And with that, Itachi disappeared from her sight, probably returning to his partner's side.

Sarada looked at the fast-setting sun with a smile. "Goodbye, Itachi-niisan."

Until we meet again, she thought happily as she turned and made her way home.

* * *

**Author's note: **So here's Itachi! It's… uh, been a challenge to write him. A couple of you made sure to note how much you love Itachi, so I was really nervous about writing him. I don't consider myself good at characterization at all, but for you guys, I really did my best. I watched random Itachi moments on YouTube and even read the personality paragraphs in his Narutopedia page. As for the other characters, if they started out a little OCC and then turned back to how they're supposed to act, just chalk it up to them being in grieving and move on. Nothing to see here.

I couldn't decide how Sarada would call Itachi, and a lot of thought was put into the "niisan" part. It makes sense, in my head. He's only 21 years old at this time, and she's 16, so for her to call someone who is her family but also only 5 years older than her "niisan" isn't that much of a stretch, so there. (Author is currently struggling with something)

We're in chapter 12! Only two more chapters to go before the second arc begins. The Boruto and Himawari bits in this chapter were actually pretty important, even if it felt more background stuff than the main focus. Next chapter we'll be dealing with Boruto more, so fun for me! (Author cries in OCC).

Chapter 43 of the Boruto manga came out today, and other than giving a huge amount of ideas for this fic, it was pure awesomeness, and I APPROVE.

I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday, but this chapter has been a bit difficult to write so I barely managed to finish it by Tuesday, and then I sent it to my beta so I didn't get it until now, but I already started working on chapter 13, so don't worry about next week. It's going to be posted on Wednesday as always.

One last thing; I don't know if you got weird notifications or not, but I have been working on the past chapters, editing them and trying to make them look more presentable. It's going to look much better when I'm done, so I look forward to that.

Make sure you write what you thought in the reviews. I really like reading those and answering your questions, as long as it's not too spoilerie.

Thank you for reading, and see you next week! (Also sorry for the kind of late update, it was a tough chapter to write.)

**Beta Reader:** AgresteBug, who not only edited this in the speed of light but also left me a wonderful note inside the document where it said the chapter made her cry. Twice. I've never been so happy I made someone cry in my life.


	14. Protect Our Future

**Disclaimer: come on. You know I don't own it.**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 14: Protect Our Future**

* * *

"Oh, Boruto-san?" Boruto turned around to see Yūgo walking behind him, a friendly smile on his face.

It was late in the morning. Boruto didn't have work so he decided to take things slow and go for a walk. It was partly because he wanted to, and partly because he was pretty sure Himawari wanted to clean the apartment. Him being there might hinder was walking around the streets of Konoha with no real location in mind, just watching passerbys and alike living their lives. He had just stopped for a moment to watch a small family go about their day together; a mother, a father, and two little children, when he heard the shinobi who visited the ramen shop often call him from behind.

"Yūgo-san," Boruto greeted the other man, "it's been a while."

Yūgo laughed, clapping his hand on Boruto's shoulder. "Yeah," they started walking again down the street. "I swear, those missions are getting longer and longer."

Boruto glanced at him. "Hm?" He noticed a few new scratches on the older man's face. "Did something happened?"

"You know, the usual," Yūgo sighed. "Some shinobi from the Kumo are being annoyingly persistent. Whenever I go on a mission it's like they make it their personal mission to follow me around and try to take me out."

Boruto frowned. "Any idea why?" He knew the relationship between Kumo and Konoha wasn't the best, but for their shinobi to target Yūgo so often... it didn't make sense.

"Probably because they raised the bounty on my head in the bingo book," Yūgo shrugged. "Assholes," he added under his breath.

Boruto blinked. "Bingo book?" He repeated in confusion. "Wait a second, how much do they offer for your head?"

Yūgo shot him a bemused look. "Why? Do you need cash?"

"Seriously, how much is it?" Boruto was curious. How much would a bounty be to make shinobi from a faraway village like Kumo continue to come after someone from Konoha?

Yūgo sighed, but leaned closer to Boruto and whispered a number in his ear. Boruto could almost hear a cash register's happy "ding!" In the back of his head. He gave Yūgo an incredulous look, seeing him in a completely different light all of a sudden. Yūgo caught his eye and laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I know, right?" He pocketed his hands and kicked a pebble down the road. "A lot of money for little ol' me."

"What did you do to be worth so much?" Boruto couldn't help but wonder how in the world a person, who seemed like an ordinary shinobi, would be worth like two seasoned ANBU squad leaders.

"Beats me," Yūgo had a bored expression like he couldn't care less about their discussion. "But I have been working as a Jōnin ever since I was sixteen, and am about to turn twenty-eight."

Boruto did the math in his head. "So you've been a Jōnin for… twelve years?" That was more than half of Boruto's life span. He knew the Jōnin went on dangerous A and B-rank missions, and sometimes even S-rank. He looked at Yūgo with awe. No wonder there was such a price on his head. As a shinobi, the longer you're on the job, the more enemies you acquire. Boruto understood that all too well…

"So what about you?" Boruto was shaken out of his thoughts by Yūgo's question. "Did you ever think about being a shinobi?"

"Eh?" Boruto stared at him in nervousness. "What do you mean, -ttebasa?"

"You know, as a kid," Yūgo clarified. "Did you ever think about being a shinobi then?"

"Um," Boruto paused and thought about his childhood, his reluctant feelings towards being shinobi and his eventual admission that his goal is to be like his master, and walk the same path as he did. "Maybe a little?"

"Then why not become a certified one now?" Yūgo smiled like he had just solved all of Boruto's problems. "Wouldn't that be great?"

"I… guess?" Boruto sighed.

Yūgo looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what's wrong?"

"It's just…" Boruto shrugged helplessly as he glanced over the many shops on their sides. "My whole village, I was supposed to protect it. But when it was attacked, I couldn't do anything. So now I'm wondering if it's even worth it, you know?"

Yūgo looked at Boruto, unblinking, for almost a minute before turning away and sighing. "You've got it all backwards," he said and shook his head. "You're not becoming a shinobi to protect a village, you become one so you can the people who live in the village. Your family and loved ones. The children who will become their future. That's why we become shinobi."

Boruto took a moment to process his words. He knew that Yūgo had a point, and it was a damn good one at that, but something still didn't seem right. From his point of view, isn't he one of the children the shinobi of this time are fighting to protect? And what about his family? They're all still here, but not his family. Not yet. "I think I still need more time to make a decision," he said quietly. Yūgo nodded at him with an understanding look. "Well, not everyone is suitable for being a shinobi," he said and gestured with his head in the general direction of the ramen stand. "Look at Ayame, for example; she had the basic training in the academy and was pretty damn good from what I hear, but she still chose to be a ramen chef in the end. She said shinobi life just wasn't for her."

Boruto frowned. "From what you hear?" He repeated after the man. "How old were you when she was in the academy?"

Yūgo suddenly started to cough violently, averting his eyes from Boruto. Boruto raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for the man to stop faking a cough and tell him the truth. Yūgo cleared his throat a few times before mumbling something underneath his breath. Boruto leaned in, trying to hear what he said. "-ht years old…" he managed to make out.

"Say what?" Boruto leaned closer, straining his ears.

"Eight years old, she was eight, okay?!" Yūgo's face was red with embarrassment.

Boruto burst out laughing, holding his stomach. "Don't laugh!" Yūgo's read face reddened.

"Why not?" Boruto wiped a tear from his eye. "You're a pedophile!" The few people nearby heard him and sent worried glances in their direction. Yūgo laughed nervously and waved them off, before turning around and clamping Boruto's mouth shut with his hand. "Shut up!" He whispered angrily. "We only started dating when she was eighteen, so it's not like it was illegal!"

"I'm sure," Boruto pried the man's hand off his face and struggled to keep a straight face. "How old were you then, by the way?"

"Twenty-five, but forget about that," with his face less red now, Yūgo continued walking like everything was normal. "My point is," he glanced over his shoulder at the slower-walking Boruto, "not all people are suitable for being a shinobi, and you shouldn't feel pressured to be one unless you want to."

_I am suited,_ Boruto wanted to argue, but held his tongue. Yūgo didn't know that, nor did he need to. To everyone here, Boruto was just another kid who lost his village in an attack by bandits. Nothing more. He was never a shinobi, son of the Hokage. He never fought a god-like being that even two of the strongest shinobi couldn't take on and then became its host. No, to the rest of the world, Boruto was no one.

As they should believe.

* * *

Sarada leaned on the rails of the balcony while looking at the blue sky. It was a clear day, with barely any clouds. The perfect day to relax.

...is what she would usually think, though she had just finished a night shift at the hospital and was leaning on the rails for support to make sure she won't fall down from fatigue.

"Sarada," Himawari stood at the door behind her. "I drew you a bath. You should really go to sleep, you know."

Sarada took a deep breath, taking in the fresh air and turned around. "Thanks, Hima," she smiled at her friend. "I'll go now."

Himawari watched her for a second with an indecipherable expression before smiling and turning to leave. Sarada knew Himawari could tell something was different about her, though maybe not what exactly. If she was being honest with herself, Sarada had no clue either. All she knew is that the more days passing, the lighter she was feeling. It was like a ball and chain of unbelievable weight have been tied to her heart, but after a while, it slowly started to lose some of it. She didn't know if it was ever going to be completely weightless, but she was breathing easier now, which was all that she could ask for.

"Sarada!" Himawari called from the kitchen. "Your bath will get cold!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Sarada pushed herself off the rails and moved inside. Something still bugged her, though. She was feeling better, but it was like something was missing. Something she's supposed to know, and yet her mind was empty.

_It's probably nothing,_ she shrugged it off.

* * *

"Ha!" Himawari's palm hit Neji's arm as he deflected her attack. She located another chakra point and locked on it, striking with her other palm. Hitting her mark, Neji groaned slightly at the feel of one of his shoulder points getting blocked and signaled for a time out.

He sat down on the ground and held his shoulder with his good hand, massaging it. "Good work on that," he commented while pressing the point with his finger. "You used my momentary distraction with your first attack to hit the shoulder that was closest to you."

Himawari grinned and plopped down too, leaning backward on her arms. "You think so?" She clicked her feet together a few times.

"Yes," Neji removed his hand from his shoulder and tried rotating it carefully. "I've got to say, you have some interesting moves. You said you have never been taught beyond the basics?"

"Well, not exactly," Himawari tilted her head to the side. "I had a friend that sometimes trained me. Her family mastered in fighting and utilizing the chakra system to their advantage even without a dōjutsu."

Neji nodded. "I see." taking a sip out of his water, he eyed her curiously. "Have you asked the Hokage yet?"

Himawari bit her lip, sighing. "I tried, but she's been really busy all week."

"I'm sure you'll manage to talk to her eventually," Neji patted her head in sympathy. Himawari smiled at him and nodded. He was right.

"What about Boruto?" Neji asked, removing his hand from her head and letting it drop to his side. "Has he made a decision yet?"

"I know he's been thinking about it a lot," Himawari said whilst remembering how her brother only wore a contemplative expression for the last few days. "But I don't know."

"No matter what he chooses, we will support him," Neji said and Himawari nodded in agreement. "Though I do hope he chooses to become a shinobi. I have a feeling he'll be a great asset to the village."

"Onii-chan is really strong," Himawari praised her brother. "He was a great shinobi in our time, too."

"You'll have to tell me all about it next time," Neji got up and looked at her. "I have to go meet with my team now. Will you be alright going home alone?"

"I'll be fine," Himawari thought her uncle was worrying about her too much. She can handle herself just fine. "Don't worry about me."

Neji smiled slightly and nodded, picking up his things and leaving the grounds. Himawari watched his retreating form and let her mind wander, not thinking of anything in particular.

Pushing herself up, she dusted her clothes and grabbed her things, realizing she should probably get a move on and start on dinner soon.

The lingering thoughts and worries about her brother, however, remained. For almost as long as she had known him, all he wanted was to be a shinobi. Once he had become one, he slowly but steadily improved his skills and became a brilliant fighter. He was one of her inspirations. He had a goal in mind, to be like his master and protect the village, and he strived towards it with conviction.

But now, she wondered if the scars from the battle in their time will ever fade from his heart. He's been carrying the burden of it all, almost crushed under its heaviness. If he wouldn't find a way to relieve his pain, it was going to consume him, swallowing him whole into complete darkness.

And if that happens, she'll lose her big brother forever.

* * *

Sarada's eyes were bugging her. Again.

She honestly didn't know what to do anymore. Headaches, moments of blurriness, and dizziness continued to happen to her on and off for the last few weeks and no matter what kind of pain killer she took, it didn't work.

Sighing in frustration, she placed both her hands on either side of her temples and sent pulses of soothing, healing chakra to her head, making the pains subside. After a few more minutes, it was completely gone, and she was finally free from the pain. Wondering why she didn't try that earlier, she glanced at the clock on her bedside. Twelve-thirty. Noon. She slept in.

Pouting, she plopped down on the mattress and spread her arms to the sides. While she did appreciate being able to sleep in at times, having nothing to do all day was really boring for her.

The soft click of the doorknob of Boruto's door brought her out of her head. It seems that he was back from his morning stroll or whatever it was he did when he went out in the mornings. She heard him go into his room, mumbling to himself in a low tone, making it impossible for her to make out what he was saying. She could almost see him pacing back and forth, running a hand through his smooth, golden locks, and have the corner of his mouth make that little frown he had when he was upset. She laid there, listening to him move about before deciding that checking on him was far more productive than laying in bed.

Getting up, she walked out of her room and knocked on his door. The pacing stopped, and a few heavy footsteps made their way in her direction. Boruto opened the door and stood in front of her, tilting his head. "I thought you were asleep," he said apologetically.

"I was," Sarada nodded. "But I woke up a few minutes ago."

Boruto blinked and rubbed the back of his head. "Did I wake you up?"

"No," she shook her head. "What were you doing?"

"Just… talking to myself," he sighed and stepped into the hallway with her, closing the door to his room behind him.

"What about?" Sarada figured she might as well press on. It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

"Well…" Boruto started walking to the kitchen, and she followed. "Did you know that Himawari is planning on becoming a shinobi here?"

Sarada nodded. "Yeah, she told me."

"Of course she did," Boruto rolled his eye. "But I've been thinking lately, that maybe I should go back too, you know?"

"Really?" Sarada wasn't really surprised. Boruto was a great shinobi, and she witnessed first-hand what abilities he had. She knew he wouldn't be able to stay away from it for long.

"Yeah," Boruto nodded as they reached the kitchen and opened the refrigerator and dug inside it, probably looking for something to eat.

"Why am I sensing a 'but'?" Sarada leaned against the kitchen counter and raised her eyebrow at her friend.

"But," Boruto placed a cold soba bowl on the table and opened the utensils drawer. "With everything that happened to us, I don't know if I can do it, Sarada. Not again."

Sarada understood his point of view. She knew him ever since they were children. She could tell what was going through his head. "What if," she moved to where he stood next to the sink and tucked a few hair strands behind her ear. "Instead of thinking 'being a shinobi is to protect the village', you think 'being a shinobi is to protect Himawari and me?"

Boruto blinked and looked at her, confused. She sighed, knowing that even though Boruto was pretty smart, there were some things he'd never understand unless she shoved it in his face.

"What I'm saying is," she jabbed his chest with her finger. "Don't think about the village like it's what you're trying to protect, think about the people."

Boruto stared at her unmoving for so long she thought he froze in place. Then he smiled, a warm smile she hadn't seen on his face in patted her head and sat down at the table, starting to eat his soba loudly. She knew that he understood her now, but still need some time to come to terms with his decision, which they both knew was already made.

_He'll come around soon,_ she thought to herself while sitting down at the table in front of him.

* * *

"Come in," Tsunade looked up from her work to see Himawari walking in cheerfully.

"Himawari," she placed her pen down and stretched her arms above her head. "Is this about dinner?"

"Not this time," Himawari shook her head. "Though I'd be happy if you stopped by once in a while."

"Sure kid," Tsunade smiled at her. Himawari always invited her to dinner at their place. If what Boruto said about Himawari being like Hinata was true, Naruto was one lucky guy to marry the Hyūga. "What do you need?"

"Um, it's about the offer you made Onii-chan a couple of weeks ago," Himawari moved her hands behind her back and shifted her weight from leg to leg. She was nervous, Tsunade noted.

"What about it?" Tsunade had a feeling she knew what this was about.

"I, well, I want to become a shinobi of this village," Himawari straightened her gaze and looked into Tsunade's eyes, unwavering. "Please?" She added as if in an afterthought.

Tsunade tried to hide her smirk without much success. "Sure," she opened the top drawer of her desk and pulled out a form out of the three she had prepared ever since she met the three time-travelers. Handing it to Himawari with a pen, she said: "Take your time filling it. Just make sure everything is correct and I'll deal with the rest."

Himawari's face lit up and she grabbed the form and pen excitedly. "Thanks so much, Granny!"

Before Tsunade could correct her about the use of 'Granny', Himawari circled her desk and enveloped her in a tight bear hug. She was surprised for a second before huffing and patting the girl's back. "No problem, kid."

Himawari let her go and grinned, practically bouncing on her toes. "I've got to go tell Neji-niisan and Onii-chan!" She almost rushed out of the room before stopping in her tracks by the door and turning around, her face more serious. She looked at Tsunade and saluted- which Tsunade found looked ridiculous coming from the bubbly girl- before opening the door and slamming it behind her in the rush to run tell her family.

Tsunade sighed and picked up her pen again, looking down at the stack of papers on her desk. Her hand moved to close the drawer on her left before something caught the corner of her eye. The two other forms she had in the drawer were gone.

"When did she…?" Tsunade couldn't help the smile slowly forming on her face. _That girl is definitely Naruto's kid, _she shook her head. _Unbelievable._

She was looking forward to seeing if the forms Himawari took were going to come back signed as well, enlisting three new shinobi in the Konoha ranks.

* * *

"I'm home!" Himawari called out to the hallway while closing the door behind her.

"Welcome back," Sarada appeared at the entrance to the kitchen. "How did it go?"

Himawari grinned and showed her the three forms in her hand. Sarada raised an eyebrow while eyeing the forms, but said nothing. Himawari walked inside, barefoot, and nearly skipped her way to the kitchen. It was hard to stop herself from being giddy. She can be a shinobi and help protect the people she cares about!

Placing the forms on the table, she sat down and immediately started filling hers. The first question was easy enough. Tsunade had informed them all already about the fake names she gave them. She and Boruto's last name was Asato, and Sarada was Kyomō. Himawari liked her last name. It meant Safe, or in other translations, Village. She liked thinking about it like it meant they were safe in their village.

Filling out the usual questions such as her age, blood type, birthday (she changed the date accordingly to their time), but when she got to parents names and if she ever lived somewhere else before, she got stumped. She did live somewhere else before, but only time-period-wise, geographically, her place of living never really changed. As for parents…

"You can write 'deceased'," Sarada told her gently. "I know it isn't much, but it'll prevent further questions."

"I know," Himawari played with her pen, twirling it around between her fingers. "But it still feels weird."

Sarada patted her shoulder to comfort her. Himawari took a deep breath and pressed the pen against the paper. I can do this, she chanted in her head. It's fine.

"What about abilities?" Sarada looked over her shoulder at the form, pointing out the question below the one Himawari was filling. "I have a feeling writing you have the Byakūgan won't go well."

Himawari smiled, wondering what kind of reaction writing that she has a dōjutsu that belongs to a prestige clan would cause. Instead, she wrote she's mastered in Taijutsu.

"Just Taijutsu?" Sarada sounded peculiar. "What about all of what Elana taught you?"

The pen in Himawari's hand stilled for a second above the line where she wrote her answer before moving on. "It's fine like this," she said. "I don't want anything to alert anyone."

"Alright," Sarada sat down next to her. Himawari looked up at her before sliding one of the forms in her direction. Sarada looked at the form before looking at Himawari. "I don't know, Hima," she sounded hesitant. "Do you think I should?"

Himawari smiled at her friend. "I know you should," she held Sarada's hand and squeezed it. "You're an amazing kunoichi, Sarada, both Onii-chan and I know it."

Sarada smiled at and grabbed the pen Himawari handed her, having finished filling her own form. The Uchiha started filling her form when Himawari broke the momentary silence. "Do you think Onii-chan made a decision already?"

Sarada chuckled. "I know he has," she said while writing down her age. "He just doesn't want to admit it yet."

"He's really stubborn," Himawari agreed with her, nodding. Sarada laughed. "Yup, one of the most stubborn, loudmouthed, know-it-all, knuckleheaded shinobi I have ever met."

"But you like him anyways," Himawari teased her. Sarada nodded absentmindedly. "Yea- wait, no! I don't like him at all!" Sarada's cheeks were as red as a tomato. Himawari busted out laughing seeing her friend's reaction.

"Uh-huh," Himawari said, rolling her eyes. "Sure you don't."

"Himawari!"

* * *

"I understand your dilemma," Neji watched the river glistening in the early afternoon light. "But why come to me?"

"Well," Boruto threw a rock into the river and looked at the water ripple as a result. "I just figured you'd have advice for me."

"I do, as a matter of fact," Neji said, looking at his nephew. "But I also have a feeling that you already know your answer."

"I… maybe?" Boruto shrugged.

"Then, what is stopping you?" Neji had a good idea of what the answer to his question is.

"When I was younger," Boruto moved around a bit, sitting crossed legged instead of his limbs sprawled everywhere. "I trained under my master to be a shinobi that could one day take on my dad."

"Your master was Sasuke Uchiha, correct?" Neji was still having a hard time picturing the Sasuke he knew to mentor anybody, let alone be a father or a husband.

"Yeah," Boruto smiled, his gaze reminiscing. "He was probably the coolest person I ever met. I wanted to be just like him. Protect the village, travel around, be the Shadow Hokage."

"Then, what's stopping you now?" Neji asked.

"My master is gone now," Boruto pointed out, throwing another rock in the river. "As is my village. I just, I don't know if I can protect this village-"

"-if you couldn't protect your own," Neji completed the sentence. "But you can."

Boruto looked at him with a questioning look, and Neji smiled at him. "Do you know why I am a shinobi?"

"Because you're part of the Hyūga Clan?" Neji could see Boruto had no idea where the conversation was headed.

"Yes, but also because my father, who I looked up to, was one," Neji moved his gaze back to the river. "He was an incredible shinobi, highly skilled and smart. I wanted to prove that I can be just as good as he was. To show everybody in the clan from the main branch, that coming from the side branch didn't mean a thing when it came to power."

"That's…" Boruto was at a loss for words.

"Depressing? Shortsighted? Temperamental?" Neji offered some of the answers he had for that. Nothing he hadn't thought about himself.

"I was going to say 'really dark', but yeah," Boruto turned so he'd be facing Neji. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Because the reason I became a shinobi might not have been the most… right, but after being beaten by Naruto, I have slowly come to an understanding. I could be a shinobi who protected my home. My family and friends, my clan, my village. That is who I choose to be."

Boruto closed his eye in thought. Neji knew he understood.

"Do you have your answer now?" Neji asked his nephew.

Boruto opened his eye and nodded. "Yeah," he said, the determination in his voice as hard as steel. "I know what I need to do."

Neji felt proud. He had a feeling that wherever his nephew's parents were now, they were proud too.

* * *

Boruto walked into the ramen shop with his hands in his pockets, his chest feeling lighter. After his conversation with Neji a few days ago, and returning home later that day and seeing what waited for him on the table, he felt he had finally made his decision. He had a person he wanted to tell about his decision, a person that he knew for sure would be at the ramen shop at this hour if he wasn't on a mission.

"Yo, Teuchi-san!" Boruto called out to the man behind to counter. Teuchi turned around, though instead of his usual smile, his face was somber. "Is something wrong?" Boruto asked, slowing his steps.

"No, no, it's nothing," Teuchi shook his head. "You don't need to worry about it."

"Okay…" Boruto walked behind the counter and wore his apron. "Where's Ayame-san?"

Teuchi cleared his throat. "Ayame will be taking a few days off starting today."

"Did something happen?" Boruto was worried. Ayame would never miss work without a good reason. She basically lived in the ramen shop.

"This morning, we got a message saying that Yūgo was killed in battle," Teuchi said sadly. "Ayame is going to need some time to recover."

"Oh," was all that Boruto could say. The nice man who's been coming to the ramen shop since before Boruto started working there, chatting with Ayame and Teuchi, eating ramen and enjoying his life. He and Ayame were going to move in together. This wasn't fair. Why should nice people like Yūgo die?

"Boruto?" Teuchi touched Boruto's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Hm?" Boruto looked at him. "Yeah. Everything's fine, -ttebasa."

He went back to work, though his mind was elsewhere. He really wanted to tell Yūgo about his decision. To thank the man for helping him out with his struggle.

And now he'd never get the chance to do it.

* * *

"I'm home," Boruto's voice called from the entrance. Himawari jumped from the couch and ran to the door. "Welcome home, Onii-chan!" She smiled at her brother. "I was just about to start making dinne- is everything okay?" She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed his fallen face. Sarada, who heard the conversation, got up and walked to the door too, looking at Boruto worriedly.

Boruto gave them both a small smile. "Yeah, but I want to show you two something," he said, gesturing to their shoes. "Meet me outside."

He walked out and closed the door behind him. Himawari and Sarada exchanged looks before wearing their shoes and following Boruto outside. He was watching the slowly setting sun, his gaze far away.

"Onii-chan?" Himawari touched his shoulder. He turned around and smiled at her, jumping down from the second-floor balcony and landing on his feet, like a cat. Or a shinobi.

"Are you two coming or what?" He called them from the ground. Himawari and Sarada smiled at each other before jumping down too, only to see Boruto already jumping away on rooftops. He was trying to get them to chase him.

Himawari giggled. It's been a while since she and her brother played catch. Sarada ran ahead of her and jumped to a low roof of a store, using chakra channeled to her feet to walk on the wall of the building upwards and move on to the next roof. Himawari joined her, and soon the three of them were running around Konoha, the sun setting coloring the sky in beautiful shades of red and gold, painting a scene. She could see her brother running ahead of them, turning his head from time to time to send a grin their way, or check how far behind him they were.

She was so focused on him, she didn't even notice he was leading them. Suddenly, Sarada came to a stop and Himawari, who was right behind her, bumped into her back. Moving away she rubbed her sore nose and looked around. They were in the Konoha Cemetery.

"Why are we here, Boruto?" Sarada asked the blonde, who's eye was lingering on a grave being dug further away from them. He turned his back to the grave and signaled them to follow him into the forest beyond the cemetery.

They followed him, both not knowing why they were there. They walked for a while, and Himawari took in the scenery. The forest was lush green, the grass grazing her sandals soft, and the shade the trees made was enough to make any light on their path seem magical. It made her feel serene, at peace. A glance at Sarada and Boruto, and she knew they felt the same.

Finally, Boruto came to a stop at a small clearing, almost circular, with trees surrounding them from every direction. In the middle of the clearing, there was a small stone, and a word engraved on it.

"What is this place, Boruto?" Sarada crossed her arms.

Boruto shoved his hands in his pockets. "I've been coming here for a while now," he explained. "At first, it wasn't a big deal. But recently…"

He walked closer to the stone, and they followed cautiously. Getting closer, Himawari could see the word engraved more clearly.

'Protect'

"'Protect'," Sarada read at loud. "Protect what?"

"It's not what to protect," Boruto crouched down and touched the stone. "It's to remember what was protected."

Himawari felt confused. "What are you talking about, Onii-chan?"

Boruto turned to look at both of them. "This is the grave for our village."

They both stilled, looking at the stone. Boruto made a grave for their village. That's where he's been all week in the mornings and evenings. He went to visit their parents and friends.

"Onii-chan…" Himawari felt her eyes tear up. Next to her, Sarada uncrossed her arms and looked at the stone with something akin to awe.

"So… what do you think?" Boruto looked at them nervously.

"I love it," Himawari smiled at her brother before sitting down next to him on the grass in front of the stone. "Thank you, Onii-chan."

"I love it too," Sarada sat down on Boruto's other side. "And I know our parents would like that."

"They'd be proud of us," Himawari agreed with her friend.

"I hope so," Boruto dug in his pocket for a moment and took out a piece of folded up paper and opened it to show them. It was the Shinobi Registration Form Himawari left for him on the table a couple of days ago. "Because I'm going to become a shinobi for this village, and I want to protect the people who will create the future we came from."

"I knew you'd make the right decision," Sarada smiled at him. "You just needed to remember who you are."

"Yeah, something like that," Boruto smiled at the stone. "You hear that, old man? I'm gonna be a shinobi in the same time you were one. Pretty weird, right?"

Himawari laughed. "I'm sure Papa doesn't think it's weird."

"You're right," Sarada leaned back on her arms. "Lord Seventh was too cool to think like that."

Boruto rolled his eye. "Please, my old man was as cool as a shoe. Sasuke-san was the awesome one."

"Papa may have been strong, but Lord Seventh protected the village several times without ever abandoning his convictions and goals!" Sarada argued.

Boruto snorted and opened his mouth to offer his counterpoint, but stopped when he sensed that Himawari was watching them intently. "What is it, Hima?" He asked her.

Himawari giggled. "You two are so cute together!" She teased them.

Both Boruto and Sarada turned red in the face and made a series of noises not known to humankind. Sarada eventually found her voice, managing to blurt out: "I knew letting you hang out with Mitsuki was a bad idea!"

"Yeah!" Boruto nodded. "He told you to say that, didn't he?"

Himawari's whole body was shaking with laughter, so much so that she fell to the grass because of it.

_Mama, Papa, we're going to be okay,_ she sent her thoughts to the sky above._ Everyone, I promise we'll not forget you, and we'll protect this village so that you can have a future._

No matter what, they'll protect the future.

* * *

"**Is everything set?**" The voice coming from the beak of an unmoving owl was hollow and ancient.

"Yes Sir," the woman nodded, even though she knew her boss couldn't see her. "Everything will begin shortly."

"**What is the hold-up?**" The voice asked.

"I am still waiting for the last piece before the move is made," she said, moving some files around on her desk in the new room she had acquired. "Once the piece is here, the board will be set."

"**What is the piece missing?**" She knew her boss already knew what the piece is, but answered anyway.

"A boy called Naruto Uzumaki, he will be arriving shortly to Konohagakure."

"**I see,**" there were a few moments of silence before the voice spoke again. "**Proceed with caution.**"

"Of course, Sir," she looked at the stuffed owl on the stand next to her desk. "I will not fail."

"We will do whatever it takes to save this world."

* * *

**Author's note:** ominous, isn't it?

Sorry I didn't post last week, I was sick(still am), so I didn't have time to write and finish the chapter in time.

The first half of this chapter was supposed to be more like snippets of their slowly-normalizing life. The second part was to show how Boruto was getting ready mentally to go back into the field. Yay! The grave in the forest was always in the plan, but the original idea I had for it was for the word engraved to be 'remember', and not 'protect'. But that felt too FMAB, so I changed it to something different.

Next week is this arc's final chapter before Naruto comes back and we really get this show on the road. Can't wait! I kinda like this length for chapters, but I usually just write what I know I want to have in the chapter, not according to length. So who knows?

After next week, I will be taking a two-week break in order to rest, figure out the next arc, finish beta editing all of the previous chapters(some of them already are, so make sure to check them out), and prepare the first chapter of arc 2.

The name for this chapter was originally "What Cannot Be Changed" but I decided to change it to "Protect Our Future" for obvious reasons.

Question: would you want me to reveal the name of Arc 1 next chapter? I have names for all of the arcs, so it wouldn't be so hard.

This was a long A/N, so I'm gonna cut it short here. Thank you for reading and don't forget to review, apparently it makes me wanna write and motivates me. Who knew?

**Beta Reader: **AgresteBug, who's super skill is to edit long and confusing documents from me in a matter of hours.


	15. Begin

**Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of explaining I don't own this fandom. I wish though, oh well.**

* * *

**Arc 1:**

**Chapter 15: Begin**

* * *

"Granny?" Boruto knocked on the door to Tsunade's office, "you there?"

"I'm not a grandma," he heard a grumbling response from inside and saw it as an invitation to come in. Walking into the office, he nervously fumbled with the edges of the three precious pieces of paper folded in his jacket pocket.

"What is it, Boruto?" Tsunade was standing next to her window for a change, instead of sitting at her desk.

"I just came to drop these-" he showed her the three filled out registration forms, "-off."

She turned around to fully face him and smirked. "So you and Sarada registered too?"

"You don't sound very surprised," Boruto rolled his eye, placing the forms on her desk. He glanced out of the window she had been standing next to, using the Hokage's momentary distraction of checking the forms, to see what she had been looking at.

"That's because I had a feeling you'd sign them," Tsunade smoothed the wrinkled papers with her hands. She raised her head and looked at him. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Boruto shrugged her question off. He had an odd feeling ever since he woke up, making his thoughts a bit fuzzy.

"In any case," Tsunade looked over his form. "Everything here looks good. I'll have Shizune take care of the rest."

"Thanks, Granny," Boruto smiled at her.

"Yeah, whatever," she sat back down at her desk with a sigh. "Stop calling me that, I ain't your grandma kid."

"You're old enough to be," Boruto said absentmindedly.

Ten seconds later, he found himself being thrown out of the Hokage office's window. Changing his trajectory in mid-air, he shifted so instead of plummeting headfirst**, **he landed neatly on his feet on a nearby rooftop. Glancing up at the window he was tossed out of, he could still see Tsunade just turning** h**er back and walk away from it like she hadn't just thrown him out.

"Crazy old woman…" he muttered while brushing himself off. A quick look at the sun told him that he'd be late for work.

"Better get going, -ttebasa."

* * *

"Is Sakura-san going to be there today?" Himawari asked, handing Sarada her bento.

"No, she has to run some errands for Tsunade-sama," Sarada took the bento with a thankful nod and stood up. "I'll be at the hospital all day, so don't wait up for me."

"Want me to save you some dinner?" Himawari scanned her from head to toe. "I'm making yakisoba."

Sarada felt her mouth water at the thought of Himawari's cooking. "Please. That would be great."

"It's a deal," Himawari smiled at her. "Don't overwork yourself." She warned Sarada.

Sarada smiled and nodded. "I promise," she ruffled Himawari's hair. "I'm off!"

"Have a nice day!" Himawari called after her.

Sarada exited the apartment feeling recharged. This is going to be a good day, she determined.

Something just felt special about it.

* * *

Himawari walked happily to the shopping district. Some of the vendors had learned to recognize her for the past few weeks and even waved her in a greeting. She smiled back at them. Skipping on the road, her purple sandals hitting the dirt path, she didn't notice where she was going until she ran into somebody.

"Oh!" She offered her hand to the person she knocked down to the floor. "I'm really sorr-" her sentence trailed off the moment she got a better look on the person she bumped into.

"It's fine," Shikamaru Nara grumbled, taking her hand and pulling himself up, rubbing the back of his neck lazily. "It's not like I was watching where I was going either."

Himawari continued to stare at him, amazed by both the resemblance between him and his son Shikadai, and also by the fact that his appearance had changed very little from when he was a teenager to when he was an adult.

"Hm?" Shikamaru looked up at her and his eyes narrowed. Him scanning her face made her jolt back to reality and realize that her face was probably very similar to her mother and father, seeing as she didn't have any cheek patches, unlike her brother. "...have we met before?" Shikamaru asked her, his black eyes unmoving from her face.

"Uh, no?" Himawari was nervous. Lying wasn't exactly her expertise. "I-I don't think so."

"Really?" His shoulders relaxed and Himawari breathed in relief. "Oh, well. Sorry for bumping into you."

"Oh, it was really my fault, I'm sorry!" She waved her hands frantically.

"Don't worry about it, it's a drag." Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking in the opposite direction to hers. "See ya."

"Y-yeah, goodbye." Himawari watched him walk until he turned and left the street before relaxing completely. That was really close. She should probably mention the encounter to Boruto and Sarada later.

"Maybe I should tell Neji-niisan too," she thought out loud while resuming her walk down the district. "Nothing happened, but still…"

Something's odd about today.

* * *

Two people walked through the forest surrounding Konohagakure, with the village as the destination in mind. One was tall and had spikey white hair, the other was shorter, blonde. They carried backpacks and were worn out from the long journey they'd been on for the two and a half years.

Just a few more minutes and they'd be home at last.

Just a few more minutes, and the first move will be made. The board is set.

Let the game begin.

* * *

**Author's note: **this has got to be the shortest chapter I have ever written. EVER.

Consider this a prelude to arc 2. It was basically just a chapter to inform you where all of the characters are located, and a few ominous lines to keep the vibe mysterious. Can't wait for arc 2! I have so many plans.

Now, for the statistics of the first arc: Changed Fates now has 85 followers, 62 favorites, and 49 reviews, which is incredible considering we're only 14 chapters in (15 if you count the prologue). The first arc has helped this story to cross the 100k words mark pretty fast, with around 100,500 words. I'm so happy! Thank you all for supporting this story and giving it so much love, I enjoy reading your reviews and answering them so don't hesitate to review. You guys are amazing! 3

Just a quick reminder; there will be no new chapters for the next two weeks because I'm taking a small break to regroup and plan the next arc properly.

For those wondering, Shikamaru was on his way to pick up Temari from her hotel room. Romantic ain't he?

Please review! Thank you for reading this chapter!

**Beta Reader: **AgretseBug. This chapter is too short and she took it seriously.


	16. Future Hero's Return 1

**Disclaimer: Coronavirus' the worst. You heard it here first folks.**

* * *

**Arc 2:**

**Chapter 16: Future Hero's Return 1**

* * *

"Seventh Hokage perhaps, but definitely a second Naruto," Tsunade commented in amusement while watching the Konohamaru Trio leave the tower. Next to her, Iruka had a nostalgic expression on his face, like he was remembering a certain knuckleheaded shinobi.

"It's been quite a while since he spoke those words and left to train with Jiraiya-sama," Iruka said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yes," Shizune nodded from Tsunade's other side. "It's about time for him to come home, isn't it?"

Tsunade looked out her window over the village she has been tasked to take care of for the last three years. "The Leaf Village needs him to return," she said, thinking about Boruto and Himawari. "There's too much happening for him to be away now."

If only she knew how right she was.

* * *

"Sakura-neechan!" Sakura turned around after hearing her name being called to see Konohamaru and his friends running toward her.

"Oh hi, Konohamaru!" She greeted him happily. She has been seeing a lot of the young genin ever since he became a shinobi. He always went for extreme measures in his mission and got himself banged up, leaving her to heal him most of the time.

"So where are you off to?" Konohamaru asked her, not noticing how his scarf piled on the road.

"I have to pick up this morning's Pedestrian Traffic Leger for Tsunade-sama," she explained. "Do you want to come along?" She asked them, thinking that she'd enjoy some company.

They nodded eagerly and started walking to the gate, with Konohamaru detailing his latest adventure on his mission to find a missing cat. Sakura listened to him complain and commented when appropriate. She couldn't help but remember her own genin days when she and her team went after cats and Naruto would complain about how the mission was beneath him. She giggled, thinking about her blonde friend and his antics. Although Naruto could be a pain in the ass sometimes, she missed him dearly. It had been three years and yet she hadn't heard a word from him. She knew he was busy with his training, she was busy with hers too, but would sending her a letter every once in a while really be too much to ask?

"Hey, by the way," Konohamaru looked at her from over his shoulder. "Have you gotten word or anything from Naruto?"

_It's like he read my mind,_ Sakura chuckled inwardly. "No, nothing yet."

The corner of his mouth dropped a bit, but he took her words rather well. "Oh, too bad."

"But he should be popping up around here pretty soon though," she tried to cheer him up. And maybe assure herself of that too.

Arriving at the gate, she smiled at the guards as she walked to the small guard post. "Hey, Izumo, Kotetsu. How are you today?"

Kotetsu smiled at her and waved. "Well look who's here," he leaned forward and handed her the documents she was sent to acquire. "Something's waiting for you back in town."

Izumo grinned. "Yeah, you have to see it to believe it."

Sakura felt stunned for a moment, processing the information. It couldn't be…

Turning her head in the direction of the village, she could feel the excitement bubble up inside of her. "No way…!" She whispered before breaking into a sprint back to town, the trio following behind her.

Is he finally back?

* * *

"Good morning, Mama, Papa," Himawari greeted the stone grave in the clearing of the woods. Sitting down on the grass next to it, she placed a few white lilies she bought in the shopping district next to the grave, organizing them neatly. "How are you doing today?"

She basked in the sun, breathing in the clean air and enjoying the peaceful moments. "Sorry Onii-chan couldn't come to visit," she told the stone. "He had to work today, but he promised he'll come tomorrow!"

"Sarada is working at the hospital, but I know she sometimes comes here on her breaks, so make sure to let Sakura-san know, okay?" She felt the need to remind the unmoving object, and then giggled thinking about what someone may say if they saw her talking to a stone like that.

Laying down on the grass, she spread her limbs and stretched her fingers, trying to warm every inch of her body with the sunlight._ Just like a sunflower, _a thought popped into her mind, making her smile. _Yup, just like a sunflower._

* * *

Dropping his backpack to the ground, he hopped up the electric pole by applying chakra to his feet. Next to the pole, he heard his master chuckle. "Always rambunctious," the man said.

Reaching the top of the pole, he steadied himself for a moment before taking in the village for the first time in almost three years.

"Now this takes me back!" He threw his arms to the sides. "The village hasn't changed a bit!"

He grinned widely. "I'm home everyone!" He called out. "Naruto Uzumaki has returned to Konohagakure!"

Letting his eyes wander around, he enjoyed the light morning breeze that ruffled his hair. "Man, I'm feeling so nostalgic now," he looked at the stone Hokage faces carved into the mountain and chuckled. "They added Grandma Tsunade's face up there!"

"Naruto?" He heard a familiar voice call him hesitantly from below. "Naruto, is that you?"

Looking down, he spotted a familiar pink-haired girl standing next to his master and three more kids behind her, the one with the scarf looking very familiar as well. "When did you get back to the village, Naruto?" Sakura asked him, her hands cupped around her mouth to amplify her voice.

Naruto grinned. "Just now!" He jumped down, landing neatly on his feet beside her. "Long time no see, huh Sakura?"

Standing in front of her, he took a second to scan her and see if anything changed, but she looked exactly the same. He laughed, happy to see his teammate at last. Sakura smiled at him before her face changed expression to wonder. "Wait a minute," she leaned closer to him. "You've gotten taller than me, haven't you?"

Naruto blinked, realizing that she was right. "Yeah," he pressed a hand to his forehead and compared their heights. "I guess I have."

Sakura's cheeks turned a bit red. "So um," she started bashfully. "What do you think? Do I seem more like a woman now?"

Naruto laughed. "You kidding?" He asked her. "Not really. You haven't changed a bit!" He gave her a thumb up. To his confusion, she seemed angry by what he said, crossing her arms and turning away from him in a huff. Behind him, Jiraiya sighed.

"Hey, Naruto!" Naruto turned just in time for a smoke cloud to disperse and reveal a rather attractive young woman, her private parts hidden only by the remnants of the smoke. "Sexy Jutsu!" She said seductively.

Jiraiya began making sounds Naruto could only compare to a monkey, and Sakura jumped back in disgust. The jutsu only lasted a couple of seconds, and then the woman turned back into an older looking Konohamaru. "Well, what do you think?" He asked Naruto excitedly. "Not too bad on the curves department there, huh?"

Naruto chuckled, confusing the young genin. "Konohamaru," he said. "I'm not that scrawny little kid anymore. And you shouldn't be using jutsu like that either. It's beneath you."

Konohamaru looked down in shame, his smile turning into a frown. Naruto gritted his teeth. "I MEAN, COME ON, KONOHAMARU! IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" He yelled at the kid in anger. "Now step aside and get a load of my grand-spanking brand new ninjutsu! Here we go!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Out of nowhere, Sakura's fist found Naruto's face and sent him flying ten feet away, paving him into the ground, head stuck in the dirt. He could hear her walking toward him, practically oozing anger. She pulled him by his leg and let him drop to the floor, before grabbing him by his jacket's collar and shaking him back and forth. "What the heck is wrong with you, you pervy little doofus?" She yelled at him. "We don't see each other for over two years and you've got the nerve to pull a stunt like that?!" She continued to mercilessly shake him, making him queasy. "Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? Do you?!"

The rest of her rant was drowned out by the ringing in Naruto's ears, but he was pretty sure that if she kept rocking him like that he'd puke on her shoes.

_Yup, Sakura-chan hasn't changed at all,_ Naruto thought in terror. _She might be more vicious than ever._

* * *

"Morning, old man, Ayame-san!" Boruto greeted the two as he walked in.

"Good morning, Boruto-san," Ayame greeted him. She looked better than he expected, which was good. She was dealing with Yūgo's death much more maturely than he dealt with his losses only a couple weeks prior, which was no surprise considering she was an adult, unlike him.

Wearing an apron behind the counter, Boruto rolled up his sleeves and prepared to begin making the dough for the noodles. Stopping with his hands to the ingredients, he remembered what his sister told him only an hour prior. "Oh, my little sister said she might drop by later today," he told his boss.

Teuchi smiled. "Himawari-chan did?" He was rolling a fresh batch of dough with a rolling pin. "It'll be nice to see. It's been a while."

"Yeah," Boruto nodded. His sister has been spending a lot of time either at their apartment or with their uncle and aunt, training. She did her best to drop by whenever she could, but he knew that she was also very serious about her training. "She said she'll come to eat here later."

"That's great," Ayame finished cutting the garnish. "I'm guessing you'd want your break then?"

"I'm actually going to deliver some food to Sarada at the same time, so I was hoping you could take care of Hima while I'm gone." Boruto mixed the dough ingredients with a spoon.

"Of course," Teuchi pulled the noodles out of their cooker. "She's always welcomed here."

"Thanks, guys," Boruto smiled. The father-daughter pair was always to help him out ever since he started working at the shop.

"So, how did it go with the shinobi registration?" Ayame was peeling a hard-boiled egg. "Dad told me," she explained to Boruto's confused expression. "Did it all work out?"

"I just submitted the papers," Boruto said proudly. He still had his resignations about the whole thing, but he also knew that being a shinobi is in his blood. "Granny Tsunade said everything looks fine."

"I'm glad," Ayame said, her voice genuine. "I'm sure Yūgo would be too."

Boruto nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder. They were about the same height, so it was possible. "Thanks, Ayame-san."

Ayame smiled at him and went back to cutting the eggs in half, and he went back to fighting with the dough that refused to stop sticking to his hands.

_I know it's going to be okay, _he assured himself. _I'm going to make sure that no one will die like Yūgo, not if I have anything to say about it._

* * *

Sarada looked over the study material Shizune left for her hours ago. There were so many books. Heavy, thick, and dusty books. On her way out, the woman commented about the fact that Boruto had submitted the registration forms that morning, which made Sarada happy. They were going to be shinobi at last. But it seems that following that, Tsunade had decided that Sarada needed to cram even more on the medical books, refine her technique and all that.

She appreciated the opportunity to learn under the Fifth Hokage like her mother, but Sakura had failed to say how hard it was to study with Tsunade when she told Sarada about her apprenticeship with the Slug Princess.

Shizune had also said that Tsunade had asked that Sarada would stop by the office later to speak with her about something, though the Hokage's assistant didn't know what it was about.

"Well, it's time to get to work," Sarada told herself firmly. Since Sakura was running an errand for Tsunade, the entire study room was for Sarada's disposal, and she would use it wisely.

If she's going to be a shinobi at a time of war, she'd make sure that she can protect and heal all of those she cares about.

* * *

"Come in," Tsunade called after the knock on her office door.

"Yo, Grandma Tsunade!" A teen with spiky blonde hair barged in, followed by Sakura, and-to her surprise- Jiraiya. For a moment, Tsunade thought it was Boruto that stood in front of her. But from her brief time with Boruto, she had learned that he would probably never be caught dead wearing that much orange. Which means…

Naruto Uzumaki stood in front of her with a big grin on his face, Jiraiya and Sakura standing by either of his sides. Tsunade smiled, glad that she chose to gamble that it would take the master and student pair another few days to arrive. She always loses her bets.

"It's been a long time, you two," she leaned back on her chair. "Your training proved to be fruitful, I hope?"

Jiraiya smiled smugly at her. "You think we would've come back without producing any results?"

Naruto smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "Mission accomplished, Grandma!"

Tsunade chose to ignore him calling her grandma. She had already tossed one blonde out of a window today. No need to make that two. "I'm glad to hear it," she placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Show me what you got, kid."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "What, right now?"

Tsunade shook her head. "I have someone I'd like you to go up against," she explained. "I've kept him off missions for the last few days so he'd be ready for just this moment."

She could see the excitement in Naruto's face. "Your opponent will be-" her sentence was caught off when another knock on the door was heard. "Come in!" She said, deciding that prolonging Naruto's anticipation might be fun. Naruto and Sakura turned around, probably expecting their opponent.

"Hey," Shikamaru and Temari walked in the office, Shikamaru with a bored expression and lax demeanor, and Temari with her almost regal way of carrying herself.

"Hey, Shikamaru, Temari!" Sakura jumped excitedly, gesturing at Naruto. "Look what the cat dragged in!"

"Hm?" Shikamaru's eyes moved to Naruto and scanned him. "Is that…? It is! Naruto, it's you!"

Naruto smiled at his friend. "Hey, Shikamaru!"

Tsunade noticed that Temari had a very confused expression and chuckled quietly. Anybody would be surprised seeing how Naruto grew up and changed after a few years. She couldn't imagine the shock that would happen if Boruto and Naruto were in the same room together long enough for their friends to see. The resemblance was truly uncanny.

"Well well," Shikamaru had a rare, not bored expression on his face. "You're back, huh?"

Naruto walked closer to him and nodded. "Yeah, got back today!"

"Look at you!" Shikamaru said with a smile. "Who'd ever believe you're the same idiotic- well I mean, the same. You've changed, haven't you?"

Naruto laughed and looked proud, but Sakura shook her head next to him. "He hasn't changed at all," she said with disappointment.

"I didn't think so," Shikamaru said and Naruto slumped. "Oh, give me a break, Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed.

Tsunade and Shizune laughed at the teens' exchange, and Jiraiya looked away in embarrassment. Luckily, Naruto always bounces back. He lifted his head and looked at the Nara heir. "Hey, wait," he said. "Does this mean you're my opponent, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow. "Opponent? What are you talking about? I just came here to drop off some paperwork."

"Oh," Naruto tilted his head. "Well, if it's not you then is it…" he looked over at Temari. "Uh…" he moved closer to her and examined her face. "What's your name again?"

"You don't remember me?" Temari asked with shock. Tsunade decided it's best to defuse the situation before the Suna representative decided to bring out her fan. "Naruto, you won't find your opponent in here," she told the blonde shinobi. Pointing to her window, she said, "he's out there."

"Eh?" Naruto turned to the window and walked to it. Opening it up and looking outside, and a voice spoke up. "So, Naruto," it said. "You went and got all grown up."

Tsunade could practically feel the happiness radiating from Naruto. "Kakashi-sensei!" He called out. "Well, you haven't changed a bit, Sensei!" He jumped out the window. "Oh, wait a sec," he looked for something inside his pouch. "I've got something for you, Sensei. A little present."

Tsunade walked up to the window and stood next to Sakura to watch. "Just like old times, huh?" She asked Sakura quietly.

"Yeah," Sakura whispered happily.

"No way!" Kakashi exclaimed in shock. "Is that, is that really…?"

"The first new issue of the Make-Out series in three years," Naruto confirmed with a nod and Tsunade felt the strong urge to facepalm. "Pretty boring if you ask me, but I know you like this stuff so…"

Kakashi held the book like it was a newborn, opening it with the most careful of movements. "Calm down!" Tsunade berated the two. Her office is no place for these kinds of shenanigans. "This is no time to be fooling around, Kakashi." She turned and walked away back into her office, noting to herself to berate Jiraiya later about letting Naruto read those trashy novels of his.

Naruto and Kakashi got up and walked inside the office as well. "So I guess," Naruto looked at Kakashi. "Are you my opponent?"

"Well," Kakashi closed his new book. "You're half right."

The silver-haired jōnin looked at Sakura. "Been a long time, hasn't it, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, it has, Sensei."

Kakashi leaned against the window frame. "So as to who my opponent will be," he pointed at both her and her teammates. "It's both of you, Naruto and Sakura."

Naruto and Sakura took a step back in surprise. "Both of us at once, Sensei?" Naruto asked in concern.

"That's right," Tsunade said, turning her chair to face them. "Kakashi will put you to the test. How well you do against him will determine your future status."

Shikamaru sighed in disappointment. "Huh, their future status."

"Sakura," Tsunade called her student. "It's time to show that your training with me hasn't been a waste of time."

"Right," Sakura nodded in determination.

"So," Kakashi drawled. "Shall we get started?"

Naruto and Sakura looked at their sensei hesitantly and he sighed. "Okay, you're right. You just got back, Naruto. You must be tired, we'll give you a chance to rest first."

"I'm not tired, I'm ready to go right now!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, you take it easy," he pushed himself from the window and climbed outside. "I'll meet you later at the training grounds. So long!" And he then poofed away, leaving a cloud of smoke behind.

"Well that's odd, isn't it?" Shizune turned to Tsunade. "He seemed in a hurry."

"Yeah," Tsunade leaned back on her chair with her arms crossed and sighed. "And I have a pretty good idea why."

"Can't wait to read that book," Shikamaru guessed, his face reverting back to its non-emotional state.

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other and clicked their fingers. "That explains it!" Sakura said in understanding. "That gleam in his eye!"

From the corner of her eye, Tsunade saw Jiraiya nod his head with pride and smirk. _Lord help me,_ she thought to herself tiredly.

"Shikamaru," she decided to change the subject. "You came to submit your papers?"

Shikamaru nodded and pulled out a scroll from his pocket. "Here, it's all in this." He placed it on her desk.

"Thank you," Tsunade looked at him. "Would that be all?"

"Actually, I have something to ask you about," he said, both his hands in his pockets.

"Well, what is it?" It was rare for Shikamaru to have anything to say. He usually found it a drag.

"I ran into a girl this morning that I've never seen before in this village," he said, and Tsunade straightened. "She had long black hair, blue eyes, and whisker-like marks on her cheeks like Naruto's. Have you seen her before?"

_He met Himawari?_ Tsunade was surprised. It wasn't like the girl was hiding but still, for her to meet Shikamaru of all people…

"Marks like mine?" Naruto looked at Shikamaru curiously. "Really?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru nodded. "She was really familiar, but she told me we've never met before. Sorta reminded me of you."

_This is bad,_ Tsunade panicked, though maintained a neutral face._ If Shikamaru would look into it, he and his intellect would figure it out in seconds. I need to diverge his mind from it._

"Wait, do you mean Himawari-san?" Sakura asked, tilting her head. "I know her. She's new around the village. Only been here for a couple of weeks."

"Really now?" Jiraiya looked at Tsunade with a raised eyebrow. She knew it was surprising. In a time of war, letting people into the village is dangerous. They could be enemy spy, or some third party looking to sell Konoha's secrets to the highest bidder. She could see that that was Jiraiya's current thoughts, but it's not like she could just tell him in front of everyone what was going on.

"Yes," she said, keeping her tone steady. "She, her brother, and their friend came to this village and asked to live here. I allowed them."

"Are you sure that was wise?" Jiraiya asked her in concern. "After all, in these times of war…"

"I'll explain myself later," she stopped him. "Anyway, Naruto," she turned to the blonde. "You and Sakura should get going. Don't want to be late."

Sakura laughed. "There's no way we'll ever get there before Kakashi-sensei will," she said and Naruto nodded. Still, Naruto picked up his bag and they both walked out of the room with Shikamaru and Temari after saying their goodbyes, leaving Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya alone.

"Are you going to explain to me what's really going on?" Jiraiya asked her and leaned against one of the windows.

"Shizune," Tsunade turned to her assistant and handed her the scroll Shikamaru dropped off. "Would you please start working on this?"

"Of course, Tsunade-sama." Shizune took the scroll and left the office, leaving both the Sānin alone.

"Well?" Jiraiya looked at her expectantly.

Tsunade sighed. "Where to even begin?" She leaned back on her chair and turned around, looking out on the village. "About three weeks ago, three kids came to the village. One of them ended up in the hospital with a few bruises and even a busted rib or two. Her name was Himawari."

"The girl Shikamaru ran into?" Jiraiya tilted his head.

"Yes," Tsunade nodded. "Her friend, Sarada, approached me while I was making my rounds with the craziest story I've heard in a while and asked for my help. She said that she, Himawari, and Himawari's older brother Boruto are from the future and that she is the daughter of Sasuke Uchiha."

"Uchiha?" Jiraiya leaned forward, his face serious.

"Indeed," Tsunade opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out the documents of the DNA test she had run for the three kids. "Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, in fact." She handed Jiraiya the documents. "What's even crazier is that she had the Sharingan."

"The Sharingan?" Jiraiya looked over the forms and frowned. "Couldn't she have stolen it from a fallen Uchiha? Or have it implanted?"

"That's exactly what I asked her," Tsunade told him, a bit offended that he thought she wouldn't do that simple thing. "I even asked about Orochimaru."

Jiraiya looked up at her, his face hardening. "And?"

"She seemed distraught by even his name like she didn't know how to feel about being accused of that," Tsunade remembered the confused and even a bit disgusted expression Sarada had when Tsunade inquired about Orochimaru that day in the hospital corridor. "Eventually, she offered to let me do a DNA check to see if what she was saying was right. You're holding the results now."

"One-hundred percent match?" Jiraiya muttered in surprise. "What about her friends?"

"That's where it gets interesting," Tsunade smiled. "Himawari and Boruto, the brother and sister, are Naruto's kids."

Jiraiya looked at her with no less than shock, completely frozen, before bursting into an all-out gutty laughter. "_Our _Naruto?" He asked once he calmed down.

"Yes," Tsunade chuckled. "I had a similar reaction when I was first told that. I could barely believe it until I met his son."

"Really?" Jiraiya asked curiously. "Do tell."

"He looks more like Naruto's shadow clone than anything. Save for a few minor details, and they could pass for twins." Tsunade shook her head at the thought of two Naruto running around. The nations wouldn't survive that.

"And the DNA test?" Jiraiya asked even though the results were in his hands.

"Complete match," Tsunade said, gesturing to the documents. "You'll be more surprised when you see who the mother is."

Jiraiya looked at the list of names more closely and choked loudly. "Hinata Hyūga?" He asked in disbelief. "He married a Hyūga?"

"Yup," Tsunade nodded and smirked. "Their daughter even has the Byakugan."

"You don't say…" Jiraiya stared in awe at the papers in his hands. "Are they here?" He asked Tsunade.

"They don't live too far," Tsunade said pointing at the general direction of the kids' apartment, close to the large mountain with the Hokage's stone faces. "Sarada works at the hospital and trains under me, and Boruto works at Ichiraku's."

"I don't know what's more surprising, you taking on another student, or Naruto's kid working at his favorite place."

"Is the last one that surprising?" Tsunade cocked an eyebrow.

"No," Jiraiya chuckled. "I suppose not."

"Would you like to meet them?" Tsunade figured it wouldn't do much harm to introduce her friend to Boruto and the rest.

"I suppose it would be nice to see what my student's kids are like," Jiraiya smiled. "I do have a question though," he said.

"What is it?" Tsunade took the documents he handed her back and placed them in her drawer.

"Why are they here? In the past, I mean." He said, and caused Tsunade to stop.

"They haven't really opened up about it," she said, looking at her desk instead of him. "But from what I understand, their village has been destroyed in the future, and they are the only survivors. They don't know how they got to this time, either."

"I see," Jiraiya pushed himself off the window and opened it. "Well, I better be on my way now. I have something I want to talk to Kakashi about."

"Jiraiya," she called after him and he turned to look at her. "Remember, you can't tell anyone about them. It's too dangerous."

"I understand to concept of time travel, Tsunade," Jiraiya smirked. "Don't worry."

And with that, he jumped out of the window and disappeared. Tsunade turned back to her desk and intertwined her fingers. Placing her chin on them, she sighed. _I hope telling him was the right thing,_ she thought worriedly. _He did seem to take the news pretty well, all things considered. But then again, Jiraiya isn't really the guy you look for to get sound and logical solutions._

She didn't ask Boruto or the girls for permission to tell other people about their secret, but she hoped it was okay for her to do so with Jiraiya.

Maybe she'd stop by for dinner at their house after all, and bring Jiraiya too.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei, I'm sorry I ever gave it to him," Naruto said, pissed. "That stupid book is more important to him than our training!"

"No accounting for taste," Sakura agreed with his. "At least now we'll have time to discuss strategy."

Naruto noticed that Shikamaru and Temari were walking a bit farther behind them and smirked. Waiting until they reached him, he asked, "so, are you two going out or what?" He nudged Shikamaru with his elbow.

"Not even close, idiot," Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

Temari huffed. "You've got to be joking, like I would ever even," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "The Chūnin Exams are about to start. I've been busy running back and forth between your village and mine getting ready for them."

"Yeah, that's right," Shikamaru sighed. "And I'm her escort. It's a drag, and don't ask how it happened. But I've been put in charge of the Chūnin Exams."

"The Chūnin Exams, huh?" Naruto asked, feeling nostalgic. Last time he was at the chūnin exam, a lot of things happened. A lot of bad things. "Man, that takes me back…"

"Yeah well, speaking of which," Shikamaru looked at him. "What are you gonna do, Naruto?"

"About what?" Naruto looked at Shikamaru and blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think?" Shikamaru looked like he wanted to facepalm. "About the Chūnin Exams. You're the only one in our year who isn't a chūnin. Everyone is but you."

Naruto stared at his friend, unblinking. Shikamaru's words echoed in his ears for a full minute. Everyone is but you, everyone is but you, everyone is but you.

"HUH?!" He yelled in shock. "Sakura-chan, you've been made a chūnin?"

Sakura smiled proudly. "That's right!" She made a peace sign.

"Oh, you haven't even heard the half of it," Shikamaru didn't relent. "Kankuro, Neji, and Temari here have all taken it a step further. They've been named jōnin."

"Jōnin? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked in a panic. "What about Gaara? What's he?"

Temari looked surprised. "You haven't heard? He's been named the Kazekage."

The silence following her statement dragged on for two minutes.

"I see," Naruto said slowly. "So Gaara's been named the Kazekage." He clenched his fist, his emotions over his friend's milestone a turmoil. "That's great!" He said, imagining Gaara in the official clothes of the Kage. "Well, I'm not about to be outdone by him!" He pointed at the Hokage faces above them. "I'm still gonna be Hokage one day, just you wait Gaara!"

"Oh, Sakura-san?" A voice behind them popped the bubble around them and brought the noises of the street with it. Naruto turned around to see a girl around their age standing with a few herbs and dried plants in jars in her arms. The girl looked at him, and he felt his breath be taken away. _If Sasuke was ever a girl,_ Naruto thought, _he'd probably look like her._

She had black hair and onyx eyes exactly like Sasuke, her face even resembling his a bit. The big difference was that she had red-framed glasses and was… well, a girl.

"Sarada-san," Sakura greeted her. "What are you doing here?"

Sarada tore her eyes off Naruto and turned to Sakura. "I was just buying some ingredients for medicine," she showed Sakura the jars she was holding. "Are you coming back to the hospital later?"

"Not today," Sakura shook her head. "Me and Naruto have a match against our sensei."

Sarada's eyes went back to Naruto, scanning him. "Oh, I see," she said, pushing her glasses up with her free hand. "Have fun then."

"Thank you!" Sakura smiled at her and Sarada walked away, rather in a hurry.

"A friend of yours?" Naruto asked her as the began walking again.

"Yeah, she's Himawari's- the girl that Shikamaru mentioned earlier- friend," Sakura explained. "We both study together under Tsunade-sama."

"She looked really familiar," Naruto said, frowning. His forehead was throbbing like he was developing a headache.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked him in concern. "You look kinda pale."

"I'm fine," Naruto assured her, though his head was hurting more and more. He closed his eyes tight, trying to fight off the sudden pain when sudden flashes ran through his mind. _A young black-haired girl, crying in a lab, white children with red eyes, carrying weapons, a man and a woman talking to the girl, all of them smiling-_

"-uto! Naruto!" Sakura shook him. He blinked rapidly and turned to look at her, realizing he somehow ended up on the ground. Sakura hovered above him, looking at him worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"What happened?" He asked her as he pushed himself off the ground. His head was pounding, and he groaned. "Ow, this really hurts."

"Your head hurts?" Sakura helped him stand steadily. "Want me to check it?"

"No," he tried to assure her. The pain was starting to subside, getting weaker with each of his heartbeat. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Sakura still hesitated to move away from him.

"Yeah," Naruto smiled at her, straightening up. "It's alright, Sakura-chan."

"Okay," Sakura still seemed worried. "If you say so."

Naruto tried to look alright, but those flashes still bothered him. What was that?

Who is that girl?

* * *

Sarada hid inside the ally until she was sure that they were gone, her heart still beating erratically.

That was Lord Seventh himself. She knew that Naruto was supposed to arrive soon, but to just run into him out of nowhere? She wasn't prepared. And if she wasn't prepared, that means that Boruto and Himawari are definitely not prepared.

She needs to give them a heads up before they see him. About to move, one of the jars in her arms threatened to fall off.

"Right," she muttered. "I'll put these away first, and then I'll warn them."

She has to get to Boruto before he meets his dad. For his own good.

* * *

Kakashi led his students to the three wooden posts in the center of the training ground. He chose that particular place for a reason, not that he'll ever admit to them that he was feeling nostalgic.

"Oh, wow," Naruto looked around with a smile. "Doesn't this bring back memories?"

Kakashi remembered the first exercise he had them go through. That time, he had Naruto tied to a post, the blonde genin still brash and believing he was better than everyone. Sakura was a squealing little girl with a crush, and Sasuke… he was arrogant, cold, and distant.

"Oh, that's right," Kakashi looked up from his beloved book at his students. "This was the site of your very first training lesson wasn't it?"

"It was Team 7," Sakura looked down, her tone full of longing.

"The three of us together," Naruto's bright mood seemed to dampen.

"That's right," Kakashi looked at the pages of his book, but didn't register any word from it. "We had Sasuke back then, didn't we?"

Naruto sighed, and Kakashi looked up in surprise at the fact that the blonde shinobi could make such a gloomy sound. He found that both his students decided to curl up on the ground, drowning in self-pity and mumbling their teammate's name.

_I guess Sasuke's name is taboo for these guys,_ he noted to himself uncomfortably.

Deciding to distract their mind from it, he pulled out of his pocket a pair of silver bells and held them up, jingling them. Naruto immediately looked up at the sound, Sakura lifting her head only a second later. They both had a look of recognition in their eyes the moment they laid eyes on the bells, quickly replaced by determination.

"Alright, show me how far you've come," Kakashi challenged them. "After all, you haven't given up on your Sasuke, have you?"

"Not a chance!" Sakura rose to her feet, her back straightening.

"What the heck do you think I've put myself through all this training for?" Naruto smirked.

Kakashi smiled under his mask, his eye crinkling. "The rules are the same as they were that day," he said, tying the bells to his belt. "I don't care how you do it, just get these bells away from me. And remember-"

"-if we're not prepared to kill you-" Naruto intervened in his sentence.

"-We won't get the bells," now Sakura was smirking too. "We know."

Kakashi chuckled. "Exactly," he said. "Show no mercy if you ever hope to get these bells. You've got till sunrise, tomorrow." With that, he closed his book with a snap. Naruto tightened the ends of his forehead protector, and Sakura put on her black gloves. "Okay," he said. "Shall we get started?"

Naruto and Sakura teased him about the book, but he just calmly placed it in his pouch and revealed his Sharingan. _It's a whole new ballgame,_ he told them. And he meant it. "This time, it's serious."

* * *

"Huh," Jiraiya commented on his student's moves against his old sensei. Naruto used his shadow clones as a distraction and cornered Kakashi with a kunai aimed at his lower back. He was impressed by his student's fast thinking.

"Not bad," he could hear the smirk in Tsunade's voice, even though she was standing below him, leaning on a tree.

"Incredible!" Shizune said excitedly.

Suddenly, Kakashi disappeared in a poof of smoke, revealing he was a clone all along. The day was becoming evening rapidly, the sun already beginning to set. And yet, he could tell that Tsunade was watching Sakura closely, a smile on her face.

_She's waiting to see what her student will do,_ he figured. If he was being honest, he was interested in seeing how the girl would fare after being trained by Tsunade herself for almost three years.

Focusing his attention on the pink-haired medic, he saw she was checking possible directions as to where her sensei may be hiding.

"BELOW!" She yelled, her fist hitting the ground and shattering it like an earthquake. Naruto lost his balance and tripped, and Jiraiya noticed the shock on the boy's face as to his friend's power.

"Yes! Nicely done." Tsunade said proudly.

"The same quick temper and monstrous strength," Jiraiya commented from his place upon the tree branch. "Tsunade turned Sakura into a miniature version of herself."

It was very frightening. One Tsunade was dangerous to his health in any way, but two of them? The whole nation might be in danger.

"Tell me," Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade. "Does Sakura's daughter have similar abilities?"

"Oh, you haven't seen the half of it," Tsunade smirked at him. "Since she's also an Uchiha, her chakra control is off the charts. She's already capable of doing what it takes most years to learn."

_Just what I needed,_ Jiraiya inwardly sighed. _Wasn't one incredibly strong and quick-tempered woman enough?_

Kakashi was revealed to be hiding in the ground, like Sakura had guessed. Naruto rose to his feet while Sakura smirked at her former sensei the way a hunter smiles at his prey. He noticed that Naruto sent Sakura a glance filled with fear and chuckled. The boy must have realized Sakura now could kill him if he stepped out of line.

He wondered if Sakura's daughter and Naruto's son were friends like their parents. Maybe they even had a similar relationship with each other.

Either way, he couldn't wait to meet them.

* * *

"Yo, Sarada!" Boruto pushed himself away from the pillar he was leaning on at the entrance to the hospital. In his hand was a bag from the convenience store, and he handed it to her. "I brought you something to eat."

"Thank you, but you didn't have to do that," Sarada looked inside the bag. There were a few onigiri and a small store-bought bento, plus a water bottle.

"It's cool, I wanted to," Boruto smiled at her, and her heart may or may have not skipped a beat. _Wait, don't forget what you wanted to tell him!_

"Boruto-" she started, but he cut her off.

"Sorry, I can't stay for long," he pocketed his hands. "I only left on a little break to bring you dinner. I have to go back to Ichiraku's."

"Oh," Sarada bit her lower lip. She should tell him. "Um, before you do tha-"

"Oh, shoot!" Boruto looked at the large clock stationed beyond the glass doors of the hospital. "My break's almost over. I'm gonna be late!"

"Then you should go," she told him, mentally kicking herself for chickening out about telling him. "Thank you for bringing me dinner."

"No problem, what are friends for?" Boruto gave her one last smile before running off and jumping on the roof of the closest building.

Sarada sighed. "I'm a horrible person," she looked at the bag in her hands, and her stomach growled. "A hungry horrible person, it seems."

She went back inside, intent on drowning her guilt with food.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura walked in the forest, looking for their sensei in the now pitched-black environment.

"Last time I heard the bells they were coming from this direction," Naruto told his friend, keeping his guard up for any surprise attacks. "I'm sure of it!"

"But he might have lead us here on purpose," Sakura reasoned. "To draw us out. So be careful."

"That's right," Naruto nodded. "We can't forget who we're dealing with."

A figure ahead of them caused them to come to a halt. Out of the darker woods walked out an injured person, many kunai and shuriken sticking out of him. He had the forehead protector of the Leaf, and was limping.

It was…

"It's Sasuke!" Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of his long lost friend.

"He looks hurt!" Sakura sounded as shocked as he was.

Sasuke trembled, barely able to walk towards them. "Naruto, Sakura," he called to them. "You've gotta help me! I got away from Orochimaru. I was able to escape, please, help me...!"

Naruto watched his friend with sorrow. His heart heavy in his chest.

"Too bad he's not real," Sakura looked away from the image of their friend. "I would give almost anything to be able to talk to Sasuke-kun for a while." She looked up and held her fingers together. "Release!" She removed the genjutsu.

Sasuke distorted and faded away, and Naruto breathed out a sigh, straightening. He didn't think his sensei would stoop this low to trick them.

"I don't wanna play with your illusions," Sakura told the space around them.

Naruto gritted his teeth and made a quick hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He yelled, creating another him. His clone immediately began helping his spin chakra, creating a blue sphere of chakra.

"Naruto," Sakura turned to him. "Kakashi-sensei is behind that tree there!" She pointed at the tree close to her and he nodded.

"Yeah," his clone disappeared, leaving the rotating chakra in his hand like always. "Don't worry, I got this handled."

He ran towards the tree, jumping in the air and pushing his entire weight into the tree trunk, hand first. "RASENGAN!" he yelled as his attack tore the tree apart, making his sensei jump into the open.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura smirked.

"Yeah?" Kakashi looked at them tensely.

"Is there something you wanted to say? I'm not sure I heard you before." She asked him cheekily and Naruto smiled. Now that's more like it, he thought.

"Shinobi Battle Techniques part 2; Genjutsu," their sensei uttered in a broken voice.

"You'll have to come up with something better than that!" Sakura told Kakashi, and Naruto nodded. "If you think we're gonna fall for that trick again you're crazy."

"We wouldn't be that stupid!" Naruto confirmed Sakura's words with a smile.

"Really?" Kakashi regained his composure. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

Naruto then noticed a gleam on the ground. The bells! "Check it out, the bells slipped off his belt!" He went to grab them, knowing exactly that he was going into a trap.

"No, Naruto," he heard Sakura try to stop him. "Don't!"

The bells disappeared, and instead, he was caught in a rope by his ankle, pulling him up.

"You see?" Kakashi smiled at him. "You still fall for the same old tricks."

The clone dispelled, revealing the rope to be empty. Instead, Naruto appeared behind Kakashi with his hand ready. "There's no way I'd fall for a dumb ol' trap like that!" He punched Kakashi, only for it to turn into a log.

"Substitution Jutsu!" Sakura said, running to Naruto. "Why don't you ever listen to me, you idiot!"

The night has not ended yet. They still have to catch him.

Kakashi narrowly avoided the kunai hurled at him. Once he landed, Sakura used that opportunity to try and attack him, throwing her fist, but he caught her arm and spun her so that her back was facing him. Something didn't feel right about her though.

"What the-" he threw her away and kicked her back, causing her to disappear in a cloud of smoke. Naruto's shadow clone and transformation, he understood. Camouflage was one of Naruto's specialties, considering all of the sneaking around he did back in the day. A shadow covered him from above. Looking up, he saw Sakura plummeting from the sky towards him, her fist blue with barely-container chakra. If that even touches me I'm done for, he knew.

Moving on the last second and jumping away, he narrowly avoided being crushed by her attack. Had he been a moment late, he would have been decimated with the rest of the earth around, broken into tiny pieces.

Running through the woods and jumping out of a bush, he tried to lose them in the darker parts of the forest.

Eventually leading them to where it began, they stood there, Naruto and Sakura on one side whilst Kakashi on the other. None of them moved, all frozen at a staredown.

"Alright then," he said, preparing what he knew was his last-ditch effort. "Shinobi Battle Techniques part 3; Ninjutsu!" He jumped farther away and ran through his hands' seals at a speed he knew they couldn't copy yet. Breathing deep, he brought his hand close to his mask. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Releasing a huge ball of flames their way, he forced them to jump away to not get burned. The fireball created a large ditch, long and wide. Naruto and Sakura had been blown away from him, enough for him to disappear in the momentary distraction.

Hiding under Naruto, he waited for a second and grabbed the boy's ankle through the earth. "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" He cast the jutsu, pulling Naruto underground up to his head and pulling himself up. Once he turned to look at the boy, his body poofed, revealing to be a clone.

Another shadow clone, Kakashi was getting tired of those. His instincts made him turn around, just in time to see Sakura and Naruto run towards him at full speed. He commenced in another series of fast hand seals, jumping on the surface of the river behind him. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" He yelled, creating large surges of water to rise up like geysers and forming a large dragon, which attacked Kakashi's students and flooded them in water, taking them underneath the surface and washing them away.

The whole clearing was flooded for a minute or two until the water returned to the river and sunk into the ground. Kakashi was left standing in the middle of the training ground, panting. He wouldn't be able to go on much longer, not with the Sharingan draining him like this.

It was getting close to dawn, and the bells were still in his possession. All he needed to do is hold out a little bit longer.

* * *

Jiraiya watched the entire fight from his place upon the tree branch, trying to determine who'd win at the end. On one hand, Naruto and Sakura do have the advantage in numbers, but on the other hand, Kakashi is dangerous even with his chakra reserves low due to the excessive use of his Sharingan.

Looks like this could take a while, he thought with a sigh.

"Well," he heard Tsunade speak. "They still have plenty of time before sunrise."

"True." Shizune agreed,

"In fact," he could almost imagine the glimmer in Tsunade's eyes. "I have a feeling it will be over sooner than you'd think."

Jiraiya chuckled quietly. If Tsunade had a hunch, he knew that the fight was going to end soon. He trusted her instincts.

The only question is, who'll come out on top?

* * *

Kakashi leaned against a tree, panting. He was almost completely exhausted, not that he'd ever give up before he knew that he couldn't defeat them.

"I never thought they'd give my Sharingan such a workout," he commented out loud. "But I should be able to hold them off until sunrise."

He did a quick inventory. He had plenty of shuriken, kunai, and Make Out Tactics!

_No, I better not, _he stopped himself from taking out the book._ It's not like the old days, where I could fight them off and read a book at the same time._

His hand still didn't let go of the book inside his pouch. He was dying to know what happens next.

From now on, he'd better wait and let them make the first move. He was more drained than he had originally thought. Keeping his guard up, he glanced around and tried to sense if he was in any immediate danger.

The full moon and the owl hoots were the only things that he was certain of. Suddenly, a smell caught his nose and made his muscles tense.

"They're here," he said, jumping away from his hiding spot.

They jumped from the bushes in front of him and surprised him. "A frontal attack, huh?" He prepared for whatever it was they planned on throwing on him. "Getting a little overconfident, aren't you?"

"Now, Naruto!" Sakura yelled mid-air and made Kakashi glance at Naruto in triggered anticipation.

"Listen to this, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled and Kakashi clenched his fist, ready to strike. "I know the final plot twist of Make Out Tactics!"

Kakashi's eyes widened in terror. "W-what?! No, no!"

Naruto continued mercilessly. "Turns out the hero is actually none other than-"

"No, shut up!" Kakashi covered his ears. "I don't wanna hear!"

He then realized a fatal mistake. He could still read Naruto's lips with his Sharingan! Shutting his eyes, he pressed his hands closer to his ears to make sure he wouldn't hear anything at all.

The happy jingle of bells was what made him open his eyes and free his ears, blinking a few times. He saw Naruto and Sakura stand before him, both smiling. In a moment, he figured out what happened. His suspicions were confirmed when they showed him each a bell in their hands, smirking.

Naruto chuckled. "A ninja must see through deception," he reminded Kakashi.

"Right, Sensei?" Sakura did a peace sign.

Kakashi laughed dryly. "I deserve that." Naruto and Sakura laughed, and he joined them, sighing.

_Oh well,_ he thought. _At least now I can finish my book._

"You two have certainly demonstrated some growth," Tsunade walked towards the three shinobi with Shizune trailing behind her.

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura smiled at her.

"Kakashi," Tsunade looked at the jōnin. "Is there anything you'd like to say?"

"Well," Kakashi crossed his arms. "They did a great job getting a hold on those bells, so..."

Tsunade nodded and smiled at them. Naruto and Sakura exchanged confused looks.

"What are you guys talking about?" Naruto turned to Kakashi.

"We've been discussing what your status will be in the future, Naruto-san," Shizune explained.

"Hm?" Naruto looked confused. "What my status would be?"

"Naruto Uzumaki!" Tsunade used her Hokage voice.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked meekly.

"Speak up!" Tsunade berated him.

"Yes, ma'am!" He straightened up and she smiled.

"Sakura Haruno!" Tsunade turned to her student.

"Yes!" Sakura evened her shoulders and looked Tsunade in the eyes. Good, Tsunade felt proud. I taught her well.

"You two are a team again," she told them. "Along with your old sensei. From this day on, you'll be Team Kakashi!"

"Team Kakashi?" Sakura repeated in surprise.

"That sounds pretty cool," Naruto smiling in excitement. "So what will we be doing then, what's the scoop?"

"It means that will be going on all of our missions together," Kakashi explained. "You and I will be peers now. That's the short version of it, to sum it up."

He then looked straight into their eyes. "The days of Sensei and Student, are in the past," he told them. "We're Konoha shinobi, on equal ground. Got it?"

"Oh yeah," Naruto smirked. "One hundred and ten percent!"

Tsunade glanced up to see Jiraiya standing above them all, smirking. She caught his eye and winked, having him nod back to her.

She had a feeling things are only going to get crazy from here on out.

* * *

"You guys have definitely gotten stronger, that's for sure," Kakashi commented as they walked through the bustling night village. "I never dreamed you would've snagged those bells."

"Well, what can I say?" Naruto had his hands behind his head as they walked. "Maybe I finally surpassed you, Sensei."

"Yeah, like that would ever happen," Sakura rolled her eyes.

Kakashi chuckled as he read through his book. "Well, I'm not over the hill quite yet, in fact, just the other day I worked out this unbelievable jutsu. Let me tell ya, you gotta see it to believe it-" his story was cut short because of a growl from Naruto's stomach.

Naruto sighed. "Oh, man, I forgot," he said. "I haven't had a bowl of ramen from Ichiraku's since I got back!"

"Now that you mention it," Sakura took off her gloves. "I'm starving after last night's challenge."

"Then say no more!" Naruto threw his fist in the air. "Ichiraku Ramen, here we come!"

"Right!" Sakura ran after the speeding away Naruto, on their quest to fill their bellies.

Kakashi sighed in despair. I miss the cute little newbies who used to react with wonder to everything I said or did.

A sound of a very distinct shoe came from Kakashi's side, drawing him from wallowing in his agony.

"He's all yours again," Jiraiya told him, watching Naruto's back as he ran forward. "I leave him in your capable hands as agreed."

Naruto and Sakura stopped and turned to look at them, signaling for Kakashi to hurry up. And pay the bill.

"We need to be prepared," Jiraiya looked at Naruto with a smile. "The Akatsuki are beginning to move again. I'm gonna head out soon and see what I can find out about them." He glanced at Kakashi who nodded back. "So long!" Jiraiya made a hand seal and poofed into smoke.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called him. He looked at them and started walking again.

"We thought you should know we decided you're treating us to ramen!" Naruto waved him with a smile and Kakashi sighed. Of course, they decided that.

"Now come on, we're starving!" Sakura yelled.

"Sorry you guys," Kakashi was not sorry at all. "I have to compile the unit documents for the new team and send it along for filing. So, unfortunately, I'm out!"

And with that, he made a hand seal and poofed away, escaping the wrath of his little newbies.

* * *

Before they could go to Ichiraku's, Sakura got an emergency call from the hospital and had to leave in a hurry, leaving Naruto alone in front of the ramen shop. He stood there for a few moments and soaked in the familiar feeling.

"Yup, looks like Ichiraku's hasn't changed a bit since I've been away," Naruto said as he took in the aroma coming out of the shop. "Mm. That's the smell I love. I'm getting hungry! Here goes."

He walked in, ducking under the cloth and smiling. "Hey," he said. "How's it going?"

Teuchi stopped his cutting and turned around. "Hello there!" He greeted Naruto.

"Old man!" Naruto smiled at the sight of one of his favorite people in the entire world. "Come on, don't you remember me?"

"Naruto…?" Teuchi asked hesitantly. The guy who was cooking noodles behind the counter froze, as well as the girl with black hair that was eating ramen at the bar. "As I live and breathe!" Teuchi laughed. "How could I ever forget that face?"

"Long time no see!" Naruto greeted the man who provided him with meals ever since he was young.

"Naruto!" Ayame turned around to look at him and smiled widely. "Look how much you've grown!"

"It sure good to see you guys again," he took a seat at the bar next to the girl with black hair. He noticed she was staring at him from the corner of his eye, but shrugged it off.

"Well, what'll you have?" Teuchi asked him excitedly. "You still got your appetite?"

Naruto leaned forward in anticipation. "You bet, I'm starving!"

"Okay!" Teuchi smiled even wider. "Then today, the food's on the house. Order anything you want."

"No way!" Naruto couldn't believe his good luck.

"Hold it!" A voice came from behind Naruto. "Let me get this one."

Turning around, Naruto watched a man walk into the shop. "I had a hunch you might be here, Naruto," Iruka Umino smiled at him.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto was glad to see his old teacher.

Iruka looked around. "Hey, where's Sakura? I thought she'd be here with you."

"She had an emergency at the hospital," Naruto told him, pouting. "And just as we were about to go on a date, too!"

The girl next to Naruto who was just drinking the broth from her ramen choked on it and started coughing. Ayame smiled at her and handed her a napkin and a glass of water. Naruto gave her a concerned look before turning back to Iruka, who was taking a seat beside him.

"So," Iruka smiled at him. "What will you order?"

"Can I have an extra-large serving of the house special please?" Naruto asked Teuchi excitedly.

Teuchi nodded and turned to the guy who was busy with the noodles ever since Naruto entered the shop. "You hear that, Boruto?"

Naruto blinked. Boruto? What a weird name.

"Yeah, yeah," 'Boruto' answered. He sounded annoyed. "I'm on it."

He turned to face them, and Naruto's eyes widened. He looked just like him! The same blonde spiky hair, same features, same build. The only things that were different were the cheek patches and the fact that the other guy was missing one eye. Instead, he had a nasty-looking scar from below his eyebrow to his cheek, sealing his right eye shut. His other eye was blue, just like Naruto's.

"See, Boruto-san?" Ayame broke the silence. "I told you the two of you look very alike!"

Boruto didn't say anything, instead just staring at Naruto with an indecipherable expression. It was like he didn't know what to feel. Next to Naruto, the girl placed down her chopsticks. "Onii-chan?" She asked, and Naruto assumed she was talking to Boruto. The girl's voice shook Boruto out of whatever it was and he turned to her.

"Yeah?" Boruto started working on Naruto's ramen order while talking to his sister. "What is it, Himawari?"

"I, I think I'm going home to sleep," she said, pushing her bowl away. "I'm full now."

"Okay," Boruto smiled at her. "See ya at home."

"Mhm," Himawari nodded and then smiled at Teuchi and Ayame. "Thank you for the meal. It was really good!"

"Glad you enjoyed it, Himawari-chan," Ayame smiled at the girl. "Remember you can come here anytime, okay?"

"Thank you," from where he sat, Naruto noticed that Himawari's face was a little pale. "Um, are you okay?" He asked her in concern. She jumped like had burned her, not making eye contact with him. She nodded and pretty much bolted out of the shop.

Wonder what's with her, Naruto stared at the place she sat mere moments ago. She looked like she was seeing a ghost.

His forehead was throbbing, and he absentmindedly rubbed it. It didn't stop, the pain growing with every second. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe._ A little boy and a little girl, blonde and black-haired, looking up at him and smiling, sparring with the boy on top of a mountain, singing happy birthday to the boy over a birthday cake, walking around with the girl at sunset, a woman holding a baby-_

He fell off his chair, landing on the hard ground. Panting, he felt like had just run miles. "Naruto!" Iruka bent down next to him. "Are you okay?!"

"W-what happened?" Naruto asked, the whole place spinning. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Iruka asked him in confusion as he helped him get up and back to his chair. "You just froze for a couple of minutes and then fell to the floor. I was really worried."

"A couple of minutes…?" _But that felt like seconds…_ he looked up, but instead of three, there were two people behind the counter. Boruto had disappeared. "Where's Boruto?"

"He finished making your meal and left for tonight," Teuchi explained. "He said he was worried about his sister."

"Right…" Naruto looked down at the bowl in front of him. It looked really good. That Boruto knew how to make ramen. "Who is he?" He asked.

"He came to the village with his sister and his friend a couple of weeks ago," Ayame told him while washing the dishes. "Their village has been destroyed and they were the only survivors." She looked down. "After a while, Boruto started working here. He's a great help."

"Oh," Naruto blinked. Something still didn't feel right. "Does he live close to here?"

"Yeah, sort of," Ayame shook her head. "But enough about that. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," he said. And that was the truth. The headaches faded the moment he opened his eyes on the floor. He still felt a little dizzy, but nothing a good bowl of ramen couldn't handle. "I think I just need to eat ramen!" He couldn't wait to dig in. "Thanks for the grub!" He broke his chopsticks and dug right in, swallowing the noodles like his life depended on it.

"Wow!" Naruto laughed in bliss. "It's just like I remembered! Ichiraku's the best in the world!"

The rest of the night was spent on eating ramen, catching up, and sharing stories from the past. Naruto couldn't be happier. He was finally home.

So why did it feel like something was missing?

* * *

"Tsunade-sama, tell me," Shizune stood in front of Tsunade's desk. "Have you decided on the first mission for Team Kakashi?"

Tsunade flipped through the mission books. "Naruto and Sakura did nothing but train for the last two and a half years," she said, her eyes reading over the list of requests. "So, if you ask me they're gonna need to make up for all that lost time." A mission caught her eye. "Oh, how 'bout this one here? An escort mission to the Land of Rice Patties." She smiled in victory. "A nice tricky B-rank mission."

"But Tsunade-sama!" Shizune opened one of the books and flipped through it. "Naruto hasn't been on a real mission in a pretty long time. Don't you think we ought to start him off with something easier? Here! Like this one," she showed Tsunade the one she picked.

Tsunade grabbed the book and looked. "A dog-walking job?" She frowned. "That's only a D-rank!" She looked at Shizune in awe. "Sakura's a chūnnin now, and Naruto's much stronger. I can't send them on a mission like that."

"It's just," Shizune took back the book Tsunade handed her. "Don't forget about the Kyūbi. If we send him out of the village too soon, couldn't it-"

"Yes, but that's why I teamed them up with Kakashi," Tsunade leaned back and huffed. She took a mission request from the 'maybe' pile and handed it to Shizune. "Here, that's my final offer."

"A C-rank?" Shizune read over the details. "Well, I suppose that as long as they have Kakashi-san there, it would be too hard."

"Exactly," Tsunade smiled. "Now, about-"

Two hurried knocks on the office door stopped the conversation. Tsunade and Shizune exchanged looks, but since nothing seems to be out of the ordinary, Tsunade called out: "Come in!"

The door swung open and Boruto walked in, his body rigid.

"Yo, Granny Tsunade," he looked her in the eye with a less than friendly expression. "We need to talk."

* * *

**Author's note: **THERE'S A NEW BORUTO OP THIS SUNDAY OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OM-(someone slap the Author to calm her down!)

Now, before anything else; my friend Dom2040 just finished the 3rd arc of his fic A Different Kind of Journey, which my fic is heavily inspired by. I loved the end of the arc and the plot is so intriguing, so make sure you go check it out later and leave your reviews to let him know I sent you.

A couple of things; first of all, I changed my username to Quwarichi, so if you ever searched my fic using my name(highly doubtful but still) now you know it's changed.

Second, if you recognized a lot of the lines from this chapter, that's because they are taken from the first episodes themselves! Now, do I regret using lines from the episodes? Not really. It helps me learn how the characters use dialogue and converse and also keeps them from being too OOC. So yeah, I have no problems. I did add my own little touches to every scene, but the ones from Naruto and Sakura's fight against Kakashi couldn't be altered much seeing as none of them came to enough contact with either of the time travelers to actually matter in a fight, that's why I only wrote part of it (that and also because I need more practice at writing battle scene if I'm going to write a Naruto fic). You've probably read it more than once anyways if you've been reading Naruto fanfics for a few years. I just kept the interesting parts.

Third, how'd you like the Naruto sorta meets Boruto and Himawari scene? I had butterflies in my stomach while writing it.

Forth (this list is getting long), I just want to clarify something. Boruto isn't angry or anything. I did write so it could be interpreted that way, but it's not that. He's just very emotional. He calms down the next chapter.

Fifth, the previous arc, in case you were wondering, was called The Past, both because they arrived at the past and because they had to learn how to let go of it.

And last, please don't forget to review and tell me what you think. I'm really excited(completely ecstatic) for this arc, and I hope you do too!

Thank you for reading this chapter!

**Beta Reader: **AgresteBug. She fangirls over my chapters as she edits them.


	17. Future Hero's Return 2

**Disclaimer: I owned a hamster once. It died, so good thing I don't own either Boruto or Naruto cause oh BOI would that have been a disaster.**

* * *

**Arc 2:**

**Chapter 17: Future Hero's Return 2**

* * *

"I'm home," Boruto heard Sarada call quietly from the entrance. Getting up from his chair, he went to the hallway to greet her. It was past midnight, and Himawari was already asleep. Mulling over his earlier conversation with Tsunade had left him restless, so he decided to stay awake and wait for Sarada in the kitchen. It wasn't like he was going to get any sleep anyway.

"Welcome home," he told Sarada as she took off her shoes. "There's dinner in the fridge if you want."

"It's okay," Sarada sent him an appreciative smile as she shook her head. "The onigiri you brought me was more than enough."

Boruto nodded as she stood, following after her as they made their way to the living room. She crashed on the couch, groaning tiredly and he smiled. He knew that she liked working at the hospital, but that didn't mean it didn't exhaust her. They had known each other for far too many years for him not to know when she was tired. "Hard day?" He asked as he sat at the foot of the couch, leaning against it.

"The worst," she mumbled into a pillow. "I was almost completely alone there, without Sakura-san or Shizune-san."

"Yeah, I guess they were pretty busy with Naruto," Boruto said, glancing at the poorly concealed shock on her face.

"You know he's here?" Sarada asked him, confirming for him that she had already known.

"Yeah," Boruto nodded and felt the corner of his mouth quirk up in amusement at her surprise. "He came into the shop to eat while Himawari and I were there. I could have used the head's up, -ttebasa." He half-heartedly scolded her.

"I'm sorry," Sarada buried her head back into the pillow. "It's just… it's not like I could just walk up to you and say 'hey Boruto, guess what? Your dad's younger version is back in the village and he looks just like you!'" she peeked at him from the corner of her eye, seeing the pout Boruto had. "You would have freaked out," she justified her actions.

"Probably, yeah," Boruto sheepishly agreed with her. He remembered his earlier reaction at Tsunami's office. If she had told him before he met Naruto, he just may have blown on her.

"So what was it like?" Sarada asked him, propping herself up on her elbows to look at him better. "Meeting him, I mean."

"Hm," Boruto hummed as he thought back to his encounter with Naruto. "Pretty overwhelming, to be honest. I didn't know what to feel."

"That's what it felt like to meet Sakura-san," Sarada remembered with an embarrassed smile. "Though I didn't have much time to process it with Himawari being injured and all."

"You're right," Boruto sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "Do you remember what it was like to have normal problems?"

Sarada laughed. "I guess this is our life now," she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"You don't sound very disappointed," Boruto noted, raising an eyebrow at her and feeling slightly amused.

"It's... exciting, in a way," she shrugged nervously. "Getting to meet all of the people we knew from our time when they were young, that is."

"Are you nervous about meeting Sasuke-san?" Boruto asked, and seeing how she tensed he knew he was correct at his assumption.

"Not exactly nervous," Sarada allowed her feet to dangle from the edge of the couch. "But ever since I met Itachi-niisan, I tried to imagine what Papa might be like in this time. I know he is a different person from our time, but still… how different could he be?"

"A lot, from what I heard," Boruto said and immediately regretted it, seeing how Sarada bit her lip and allowed her shoulders to sink. He patted her head comfortingly. "But hey, we don't know for sure. Maybe you can help him change earlier."

"Maybe," Sarada didn't sound sure, but did smile at him. "Thanks, Boruto."

"Of course," Boruto smiled back at her. They stared at each other for a few moments, in total silence. Boruto blinked, realizing that their faces were rather close to each other. Hm.

"Um," they both started saying something, but then stopped. He inched back slowly, even though his brain was screaming at him to move in the opposite direction of away from Sarada.

"You go first," he offered, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"No, it's okay," she shook her head. "You go." she inched closer to the edge of the couch where he sat on the ground, their faces on the same level. Boruto audibly gulped, feeling his gut twisting. Sarada moved some stray hair from her face to behind her ear and watched him almost eagerly, making Bourto's heart beat faster. Was she trying to kill him?!

"Well," Boruto's eye ran all over the place in nervousness, refusing to look at her. "It's getting late," he said in a hurry, shattering the fluffy-like atmosphere around them. "We should probably go to sleep, -ttebasa."

"Oh," Sarada looked… disappointed? "Right. Good night."

"Yeah," Boruto got up and tried to hide his disappointment and guilt. Disappointment at himself for avoiding the situation, and guilt over.. well, not wanting to avoid the situation. This was his best friend, for fuck's sake! He needs to get a grip. "Good night."

Sarada stayed to sit on the couch while he made his way to his room with a heavy heart, her eyes still located where he sat a moment ago. He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye just as he was about to disappear in the hallway, catching her bite her lower lip in thought. He made his feet walk faster to his door, only feeling safe once he was behind the closed door of his bedroom. Throwing himself onto his bed, he let out a long groan muffled by his pillow, feeling like an absolute idiot. Why do feelings have to be so complicated?

He heard the door to her and Himawari's room opening and closing, indicating she's going to sleep. He strained his hearing, lying motionless on his mattress. He heard a faint sigh and fought the urge to groan again. Burying his face into his pillow again, he drew up a conclusion.

She was disappointed, wasn't she?

He had his suspicions as for why, but decided against assuming. With his luck, the answer he'd come up with and the real answer would end up being very different. For all he knows, she was just thinking he's an idiot for thinking she has feelings for him or something.

Turning on his back, he stared at the dimly-illuminated by the moon celling of his room. He shoved his arms under his head as support and closed his eye, sighing. Understanding Sarada had to be an S-rank ability only a few possessed, though he could proudly proclaim he knows exactly how to annoy her, reading her other emotions was near impossible. He had no idea how her mother was able to do so. Even Mitsuki had more luck than him when it came to Sarada.

Opening his eye again, Boruto realized with a pang of guilt it's been a while since he thought about his white-blue-haired friend. He tried to imagine what Mitsuki would tell him to do, but all he could come up with was the snake summoner's eerily smile and him saying; _"You two would make a good couple."_

_Not the advice I'm looking for, man._

Deciding that agonizing over this would just drive him more than insane, he chose to instead think about something else(anything will do, really). His mind had chosen to circle back to the conversation he had with Tsunade earlier.

Boruto pursed his lips in thought, the talk with the Hokage running through his mind. He had agreed to her suggestion but wasn't sure if he made the right call or not. Hopefully, Sarada and Himawari wouldn't get too mad at him for it.

"No use wondering about that now," he sighed. Both the girls were asleep anyway. A thing he should really be doing, too.

A tingling sensation his right hand had him letting out another groan. That's been happening a lot lately much to his dismay. He knew what it was about, but had no intention of calling out the Karma. Not now, at least.

He closed his eye, shoving his right hand under his pillow then placing his head on it, attempting to numb it. With another sigh(he's been doing it a lot lately)he allowed his wary body to drag him off to the land of dreams and nightmares he visited every night.

* * *

_"Yo, Granny Tsunade," Boruto walked into her office with conflicted emotions and closed the door behind him with a little more force than necessary. "We need to talk."_

_"Shizune," Tsunade looked at her assistant. "Would you mind going down to the archives and getting me the forms I asked for?"_

_"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Shizune held the pink pig that was usually around the office in her arms and left. Tsunade waited until the door closed behind him again before she spoke._

_"So, I take it you've met Naruto then?" She asked him with interest._

_All the anger that was in Boruto's body deflated. "Yeah," he sighed. "Both Himawari and I met him."_

_"Himawari was there?" Tsunade's eyebrows rose slightly._

_"He came to Ichiraku's to eat while she was there," Boruto explained. "Took us both by surprise."_

_"I see," Tsunade sighed. "I suppose I should have warned you sooner, taking into consideration how much of his time he spends there."_

_"What's done is done," Boruto said with a careless shrug, putting his hands in his pockets. "I was just caught off guard, I guess."_

_"Speaking of," Tsunade opened. "I mentioned you and Himawari to Jiraiya. I'm thinking of bringing him with me for dinner at your apartment."_

_"Jiraiya-san?" Boruto tilted his head and crossed his arms in thought. "Well… why not?" He smiled. "I'm sure Hima would be happy to meet him."_

_"Great," Tsunade nodded. "Now that that's settled, I have another matter to discuss with you."_

_"Oh?" Boruto looked at her. "What is it?"_

_"It's about…"_

* * *

"Dinner with Jiraiya-sama?" Sarada repeated after Boruto in surprise. "That's unexpected."

"Yeah," Boruto drank some milk from his glass. "After Granny told him about us he wanted to meet me and Hima, so she offered to bring him to dinner." He turned to Himawari. "Do you think it's okay?"

"Of course," Himawari smiled. "I always wanted to meet Jiraiya-san. Mama and Papa always said really amazing things about him!"

"Don't listen to all of what Dad says," Boruto rolled his eye. "He always makes sure to bring himself out in the best light possible."

"Please," Sarada huffed. "You're just jealous because you're not as amazing as Lord Seventh."

"Jealous?" Boruto gave her an incredulous look. "Me? Of the old man?!"

Sarada smirked. "Are you?" She teased.

"Hell no!" Boruto yelled, looking offended by her suggestion.

"Onii-chan, manners," Himawari reminded her brother with a disapproving look.

"Right," Boruto lowered his voice. "Sorry."

"You're totally jealous though," Sarada whispered to him, and as she expected his face turned red and he opened his mouth, prepared to argue.

"Onii-chan," Himawari smiled angelically at her brother, which did not match her threatening tone. "Manners."

Boruto closed his mouth and gulped, but still sent Sarada an angry look, to which she just smiled at him and continued eating.

He was way too fun to tease.

* * *

"So you're having dinner with the Fifth Hokage and Jiraiya-sama?" Neji asked Himawari while they sparred.

"Mhm," Himawari smiled as she aimed a hit and Neji blocked. "I can't wait. I really want to meet him!"

"Just… be careful, alright?" Neji said carefully. He knew that Jiraiya was a Toad Sage and a very respected person, but if what he heard from Naruto and what he's seen was true, the man was also one of the biggest perverts in the Fire Nation. He was frankly worried about how well his niece would fare with the older man.

"Careful?" Himawari frowned, dropping her guard. "Why?"

Neji used that opportunity to direct two hits at her abdomen and nailed them, sealing her chakra points and pushing her to the ground with the force of his attack. She winced when she hit the dirt, but didn't make a sound other than that. It wasn't the first time Neji had made her lose her balance. He offered her a hand and she pulled herself up, using a trick he taught her to release the sealed points.

"It's not important," Neji dismissed her question. "Just don't let your guard down."

"Like you're doing right now?" She asked with a smile and sent a focused open-palm strike to his collarbone, sending him flying a couple of feet away. Himawari's strength was something that he was still not used to. According to Boruto, she once blew away a mountain of scrap metals heavier than herself with a single strike when she was only ten years old.

"Yes," Neji swallowed the groan on his lips. "Like that."

She giggled and leaned down to help him up, smiling at him. "I promise," she said, pulling him up. "No matter what, I won't let my guard down."

He had a feeling she meant more behind her statement than just the dinner with Jiraiya and smiled at her. She was a smart girl.

"Say, Neji-niisan?" Himawari turned to him a couple of sparrings later, while they were cooling off under the shade of a tree. He gave her a questioning look so she continued. "Where's Mam- I mean, Hinata-san?"

Neji blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Where is she," Himawari pointed vaguely at the village's direction. "In the village. Even when I go to the Manor she's not there."

"Oh," Neji understood. He noticed that sometimes while they were at the house, that Himawari would glance around as if she was searching for something. Or someone. "Hinata-sama left on a long term mission shortly after you arrived at the village."

"Really?" Himawari sounded disappointed. "That's too bad."

"Did you want to see her?" Neji asked. His niece hadn't mentioned her mother much ever since she got out of the hospital.

"At first, I didn't know," Himawari said, tucking away a loose strand of hair. "But after meeting Naruto yesterday, I just thought that it would be nice to see her again."

Neji caressed her head comfortingly. "I'm sure you'll get to meet her soon," he told her. "Hinata-sama should be back any day now, and if you want, I'll make sure you'll be there to meet her."

"Thank you Neji-niisan," Himawari leaned her head against his shoulder. "You're the best!"

Neji smiled, relaxing. He was still getting used to being an "uncle", but it didn't seem so complicated anymore.

* * *

Tsunade worked all day non-stop, so when the sky was painted red she was actually startled. Was it evening already?

She informed Shizune that she was going to get dinner, and left the building. Jiraiya was waiting for her, leaning against a lampstand with his arms crossed. He looked up at her and she nodded. Wordlessly, he pushed himself away from the stand and fell into step beside her.

"So, where are we going?" He asked, smiling.

"Oh, you'll see," Tsunade smirked. She hadn't told him where they were going. Only that she wanted to take him out to dinner.

They walked around the village as it got darker, the many colorful lights setting a bright mood for the nightlife. Kids were running and around and many people were still out in the streets, even though it was getting later by the minute. Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya, who was writing in his book while walking.

"Do you have to write in that thing right now?" She groaned.

"This is giving me inspiration for the next installment of my series," Jiraiya said excitedly. "I'm just writing down some key points to look over later."

"Sure you are," Tsunade sighed. He never changes.

"Are you ever planning on telling me where we're going?" Jiraiya tried to ask her again.

"We're almost there," Tsunade pointed at the apartment building she was walking towards, at the end of the street.

"Don't tell me you live there," Jiraiya gave her an amused look.

"Not me," Tsunade smirked again before a figure walking down the street ahead of them caught her eye. Was that…?

"Is that Naruto?" Jiraiya also spotted the figure, and the blonde messy hair that was like no other.

"I wonder…" Tsunade had to fight her grin away.

As they got closer to the apartment building, the figure slowed down as well, taking the stairs up to the second floor and entering one of the apartments.

"Why would Naruto go there?" Jiraiya asked her. "His apartment is all the way over there." He pointed at the direction of his student's apartment.

Tsunade didn't answer, instead, she walked up the stairs like the blonde before her and waited for Jiraiya. "Are you coming?" She asked him impatiently.

"Some respect for the elderly," he muttered under his breath.

"We're the same age," she reminded him with dissatisfaction.

"Point?" He cheekily grinned at her and she fought back the urge to throw him all the way to Naruto's apartment.

"Just hurry up," she tapped her foot on the floor. He mumbled something else under his breath she didn't catch but hurried his steps. Finally, they reached the door of the apartment Tsunade has been looking forward to all day.

Knocking, she waited a few seconds before hearing footsteps from the other side. She made sure that Jiraiya was visible from where he stood and waited for the door to open.

Soon enough, the door opened, revealing Boruto at the entrance with a simple white shirt and black shorts. "Yeah?" He rubbed his head lazily. Looking up at them, he froze, blinking.

"Naruto?" Jiraiya sounded confused.

"Not exactly," Boruto's rigid posture relaxed and he sighed, looking, for all intents and purposes, resigned. "Though I get that a lot."

"Hey Kid," Tsunade greeted Boruto. "Hope we're not too early."

"Only if you consider early as just in time to see Himawari freak out all over the kitchen," he moved away from the entrance to allow them to pass. "Come in."

They stepped in, Tsunade removing her heels and Jiraiya removing his wooden sandals.

"You might wanna lose that," Boruto pointed at the large scroll on Jiraiya's back. "There isn't a lot of space to maneuver as is."

Jiraiya sent Tsunade a questioning look, but she just shrugged and nodded. He took off his scroll gently and placed it on the floor, leaning it against the wall. Getting up, Boruto lead them into the apartment, both his hands behind his head. He truly is relaxed around his home, Tsunade noted.

"Hima," Boruto entered the kitchen and they followed. "They're here."

"Eh?" Himawari turned around from the stove and looked at them. She wore a pink apron and had a ladle in her hand, looking like a young housewife.

"Welcome!" She smiled at them. If smiles were energy, this girl could light up the entire Konoha with no sweat. "Please sit down," Himawari gestured to the chairs. "I'll make you some tea in a minute."

Tsunade took a seat, already comfortable. Jiraiya smiled back at the girl and sat next to Tsunade, though his expression was still rather confused.

Scanning the table, Tsunade noticed that they added one more chair. Where they got it from, she didn't know.

"Where's Sarada?" She asked Boruto, he was leaning against the counter.

"She's in her room," Boruto said with a sigh. "Working on some medical book."

"Actually, Onii-chan," Himawari turned to her brother. "Could you go call her? I'm almost done here."

"Sure," Boruto got up and walked away, Jiraiya's gaze following him.

Tsunade nudged her friend. "Overwhelmed yet?" She asked him jokingly.

"You weren't kidding when you said they looked alike," Jiraiya said, his eyes moving to meet hers. "If you told me that was Naruto's long-lost brother, I would have believed you."

"In our time," Himawari placed an array of dishes on the table. "Papa looks a bit different, so it's harder to make the comparison."

"You have Naruto's eyes," Jiraiya commented, examining her face. "Though I'm guessing the rest is from your mother."

Himawari giggled. "Mama always said I look more like Papa, but Papa argued and said that I look like her. Onii-chan just offered that I look like both of them."

"An argument like that…" Jiraiya laughed. "It does sound like Naruto." His smile widened. "It's still hard to imagine him with a wife though."

"It's actually very easy," Boruto re-entered the kitchen with Sarada in toe. "You just have to imagine him being a baby and wanting Mom to dote on him whenever she was free."

Jiraiya laughed again, a wholeheartedly gutty laugh. "That is quite an image," he said. "Your mother must be a very patient woman, to tolerate someone like that."

"Hinata-san is probably the nicest person in the world," Sarada said, sitting down. "I don't think I've ever seen her get angry."

Boruto shuddered. "I did," he said, looking haunted. "It's scary."

"Here you go," Himawari placed two cups of tea next to Tsunade and Jiraiya. Tsunade's was handmade by Himawari, decorated with green leaves in many shapes, hand-drawn. She smiled and took a sip out of it, enjoying the aroma and taste of Himawari's tea.

"That taste incredible," Jiraiya noted. "What's your secret?"

"There's no secret," Himawari smiled widely at the compliment. "I just like making tea."

"Can we eat yet?" Boruto asked his sister as his stomach growled. "I'm starving."

"Just give me a second," Himawari untied her apron and took out the final dish, placing it in the middle.

"Fried chicken?" Boruto eyed the food with a tilted head.

"Mhm," Himawari nodded with a smile as she sat down. "Something told me to make it today, so I did."

"Well, I'll have to thank that something later," Jiraiya smiled widely. "Fried chicken is my favorite dish."

"Really?" Himawari seemed excited. "Then, I'm glad I made it!"

"Can we eat now?" Boruto asked impatiently. Himawari gave him a pouting look, and he cleared his throat. "Please?" He asked again. She giggled and nodded. They all clapped their hands together. "Thank you for the food!"

The dinner started off great. With great food, it was hard not to find anything to talk about. It was clear that there was an instant bond between Jiraiya, Boruto, and Himawari. With the girl's ability to chat endlessly about any topic, and Jiraiya's stories about his travels all around the world, they weren't shy of subjects to discuss. Boruto commented on each and every little thing, all the while the three completely eliminated the plate of chicken, leaving Tsunade and Sarada nothing. Still, it was nice to see her friend chatting so lively with someone.

"You write?" Himawari asked in amazement. "What kind of books?"

"You may have heard of my series? It's called Make Out Tactics," Jiraiya smiled proudly. Sarada choked on her water and Boruto on his chicken. Himawari's eyes sparkled in wonder. "Wah!" She sounded excited, leaning her elbows on the table and her chin on her palms. "What's it about?"

"Well," Jiraiya began but was silenced by the death glare Boruto sent his way. Boruto then turned to his sister and smiled. "You're still too young for that, Hima." He told his little sister.

"What?" Himawari pouted in disappointment. "But I wanted to-"

"Too young!" Boruto cut her off and cleared his throat. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that Jiraiya-ojiichan wouldn't tell you about it, right?"

Tsunade blinked in surprise at the nickname Boruto gave Jiraiya, but smiled. It seemed fit. Next to her, Jiraiya momentarily froze, before smiling softly and clearing his throat. "Your brother's right, Himawari-chan," he told the girl. "You're too young for that book."

"Eh?" Himawari frowned. "But why?"

"Himawari," Sarada intervened. "I think we're ready for dessert."

And she was right. They had cleaned out the entire table, and all the dishes on it. Himawari blinked in surprise, but took the bait and changed the topic. "Right!" She got up and walked to the fridge.

"You made a dessert?" Jiraiya asked curiously. "What is it?"

"I made ice cream!" Himawari took out five bowls of the cold and sweet substance.

"You made it?" Jiraiya looked at his bowl and then at Himawari with newly gained respect.

"I had some free time," Himawari rubbed the back of her head shyly. "Enjoy as much as you like."

"This looks great, Hima," Boruto smiled at his sister before digging into his bowl, devouring it. Sarada and Tsunade ate more slowly than him, but Tsunade had to admit that Himawari was one hell of a chef. This was probably one of the best ice creams she'd ever had.

"So, tell me," Jiraiya lifted his head from his bowl. "Planning on taking any missions soon?"

Boruto and Tsunade exchanged glances, but returned to their bowls immediately. Sarada answered for them. "Hopefully, yeah," she nodded. "I want to get back in the field."

"Me too," Himawari leaned back after cleaning out her bowl. "I wanna go on as many missions as possible!"

"If that's what's you want," Boruto pushed away his bowl. "Then I'll make sure we do."

"Yay!" Himawari cheered, her energy so infectious it made Tsunade happy as well. The girl got up and took the empty dishes off the table, placing them in the sink. "I'm going to go take down the laundry," she told them. "I'll be right back."

"Sure," Boruto nodded. "Call me if you need help."

Himawari smiled at them and walked out the side door, to the balcony.

"Does she always take care of the chores here?" Jiraiya asked, interested.

"Something like that," Boruto shrugged. "We offer to help her, but she always says we already do too much and that we should let her take care of the chores."

"She almost activated her Byakūgan when I tried to help her clean up after a long shift at the hospital," Sarada remembered fondly. "It would have been funny if she wasn't completely serious."

"You don't say," Jiraiya said with an understanding smile. "Well, it would be said that she is one incredible cook."

"Yeah," Boruto nodded. "Our mom taught her everything she knows."

"Sounds like Naruto got himself one hell of a wife," Jiraiya smirked. "Not bad. I taught him well."

"Oh, please," Tsunade rolled her eyes. "He'd be lucky if he manages to forget even half of what you taught him when it came to women."

Jiraiya huffed. "I'll have you know women love me," he said with a near pout and she snorted. "It's true!"

"Dad told me about your… hobby," Boruto said that word like it was a poison he didn't want in his mouth. "Make sure there isn't any mention of that next to Himawari," his eye gleamed dangerously. "Or else."

"Right, right," Jiraiya smiled and nodded, though Tsunade heard him gulp. "There will be no talk of my work next to Himawari-chan. I promise."

"Good," Sarada didn't look at the man, seeming completely calm as she smiled sweetly and said, "otherwise Boruto and I would hunt you down ourselves."

The door for the balcony opened, and Himawari walked through it with a laundry basket. "What are you guys talking about?" She asked innocently.

"Nothing much," Boruto lied. "Do you need help with the laundry?"

"Nuh-uh, it's okay," she shook her head. "I'll just go put it in my room."

"I think it's time for us to leave as well," Tsunade got up from her chair.

"So soon?" Himawari looked disappointed.

"I'm afraid so," Jiraiya got up as well. "Tsunade here has work at the office, and me… I have some research to do."

"Research?" Himawari repeated curiously. "What are you researching?"

Jiraiya smiled and said nothing, patting her head. "Nothing for you to worry about," he said. "Thank you for a lovely dinner, Himawari-chan."

"Of course!" Himawari smiled at him. "Come anytime, you're always welcomed here."

Jiraiya chuckled. "I will, then," he turned to Tsunade. "Are you coming?"

"In a minute," she told him. "I just need to speak with Boruto for a moment."

Boruto lifted his gaze to her, confused. She gestured to the balcony, and he got up and followed.

Once they were alone, he turned to her. "It's about the other thing we talked about, right?" He asked her.

"Yes," Tsunade nodded. "Did you ask them yet?"

"Not yet," he said, leaning against the rails. "But you heard them. They'll have no problem with it."

"Alright then, it's settled," she said, noting to herself to ask Shizune for the needed documents later. "Oh, before I forget," she took out a small sealing scroll and handed it to him. "Open it with them later. It's a gift."

"I will," Boruto shoved the scroll in his pocket. "Thanks, Granny."

"I ain't your grandma, kid," she smiled at him before going back inside and walking to the front door. Jiraiya was already there, his shoes on and his scroll tied to his back. "Ready to go?" He asked her once she finished putting on her heels. "Yes, let's go."

"Have a safe trip home," Himawari bid them farewell. "Come visit anytime!"

"We will," Tsunade smiled at her. "Thank you for dinner, Himawari."

Himawari smiled bashfully and waved them goodbye as they exited the apartment and closed the door behind them.

"So?" Tsunade turned to her former teammate. "What did you think of them?"

"They're definitely Naruto's kids, I'll give you that," Jiraiya smiled as they walked down the stairs to the street. "I just never expected them to be so…"

"Mature?" Tsunade offered.

"Relaxed," he shook his head in amazement. "Unlike Naruto, Boruto didn't seem so hyperactive. Himawari, on the other hand, has what I assume is her mother's kind nature."

"They took their parents' best qualities and divided them equally," Tsunade mused. "Funny how that happened."

"I have a feeling that they'll have a big impact on us all," Jiraiya said and looked up at the starry sky. The side street was quieter from the main streets of Konoha, and less lighted, allowing the stars to shine brightly.

"A positive impact?" Tsunade asked him, enjoying the breeze.

"I don't know yet," Jiraiya shrugged. "Either way, I am looking forward to seeing it."

"Yeah," Tsunade smiled. "Me too."

* * *

"So, what's inside the scroll?" Sarada asked him curiously.

"I don't know," Boruto shrugged as he took it out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "Let's find out."

Himawari and Sarada leaned from both his sides to get a better view. Boruto unsealed the scroll with a poof of smoke, revealing three forehead protectors. One orange, one red, and one black.

"Wah!" Himawari called out in excitement and grabbed the orange one, holding it up to the light while twirling around. "Look, look, Onii-chan!" She showed him the object. "This means we're officially shinobi!"

"Yeah," Boruto smiled at his sister's excitement and held the black protector, examining it. "It does, doesn't it?"

"How does it look?" Sarada turned to them, the red one tied to her forehead.

Boruto smiled at her. "It looks awesome, Sarada," he tied his around his forehead too. "And mine?"

"You look good," Sarada smiled at him. "Like a real shinobi."

"That's the idea," Boruto chuckled.

"Look at me!" Himawari made them both turn. She tied hers loosely around her neck and clasped her hands behind her back. "How do I look?"

"Like you're ready to fight a Kage," Boruto compliment his sister, who giggled. "Onii-chan!" She called, embarrassed.

They were officially shinobi.

* * *

Tsunade entered her office slowly and closed the door behind her. It was certainly an eventful day, to say the least. Now, all she needed was a cup and a bottle of sake to finish it right. The view of the moon and stars from her window was remarkable, and she took a step closer to her window, taking in the night sky with the galaxy spread before her. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes and allowed her shoulders to relax as she simply enjoyed the peace and quiet that moment allowed her.

Eyes opening slowly, her shoulders tensed slightly as she sensed a presence whom she did not recognize in the office with her. Not turning around, she asked, "who are you?"

"Hello, Tsunade," the presence spoke, completely disregarding the usual respect people addressed her with. "Who I am does not matter. I've come with an important message for you."

It's a woman's voice, Tsunade determined. "Oh yeah?" She still hasn't turned around and kept looking out her window at the night sky. "And what might that be?"

"Soon, a request will arrive to you. And to fulfill it, you will send Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno to do it." The woman said. "You must also send the three others."

Tsunade's fist clenched, but other than that she had shown no signs of tension. "Three others?" She faked ignorance. Surely that woman was not talking about who she thought she was talking about, right?

"You know who I'm talking about," the woman still sounded calm. "I'm talking about the three time travelers; Boruto and Himawari Uzumaki, and Sarada Uchiha."

Tsunade's breathe hitched. She knew about the three teens and who they really are. Just who was she? Gritting her teeth, she itched to turn around and unleash her strength at the woman but knew she couldn't. Turning around would not give her the edge in this match, as she has no idea who that woman was, let alone what her abilities are, if she managed to sneak past her personally selected ANBU guards. "How do you know about them?" She questioned the woman as calmly as she could. She must not lose control.

"How I know of them does not matter as well," The woman's voice was laced with secrecy. "All I can tell you is that there are things in this world, that you can't even comprehend. The first move is about to play out, and the three of them are necessary for it. They are the only ones who can handle what is yet to come."

Tsunade's body was trembling with restraint. It took all she had to not move a muscle. "What do you mean, first move? What is about to happen to them?"

The woman laughed dryly. "The world is a much more complex place than you might think, and not everything is visible to the eyes of those who cannot understand it. A great evil is coming, and soon. The only ones who can stop it are the three of them." Tsunade didn't hear any footsteps, but suddenly, the woman's presence was less than a few inches from her ear. "The weight of the world is on their shoulders, and by extension, yours." She whispered in Tsunade's ears. "When the request comes, send them as well. It's the only way to ensure the success of their task."

Tsunade's eyes were large in fear and confusion. The weight of the world? What was she talking about? And what is the 'task'Boruto and the others are supposed to succeed in? What would happen to those kids?

"And remember, Tsunade," the woman was so close Tsunade could feel her warm breath on her cheek. "You mustn't tell anyone what I told you today, otherwise the consequences might be greater than you thought." The woman placed a hand on Tsunade's back and pressed against it. Tsunade could feel the cold chakra that poured out of the woman's hand and understood what was happening. She was being threatened. "Just don't forget, when the request comes, send the three of them along. They'll take it from there." The woman's hand disappeared and her presence slowly dissolved as well. Finally turning around in a whirl, her fist raised and ready to strike with full force, Tsunade froze in place when she realized her office was empty except for her. Lowering her hand but not her guard, she scanned the room in search of any traces of the woman but found none.

_"The weight of the world is on their shoulders, and by extension, yours."_

Dropping down on her chair, she massaged her forehead as a small headache crept up on her. The woman's words echoed hollowly inside her head over and over again, never losing their meaning. She knew this feeling that was slowly settling in her gut. It was something she got before every important fight she ever had. And this unknown fight might be the scariest one of them all.

Cursing under her breath, she opened up a drawer in her desk and took out a bottle of sake. Opening it, she took a long sip from it and let herself be immersed in its taste. It seems that the strange woman was right. Her gut never lied to her before. The first move, or whatever it was, is upon them, and if Boruto and the girls are as involved as she said, it would be wise to send them too, to whatever the 'request' might be.

But, if all turns out to be a trap set up to hurt the three teens, the time travelers who arrived from a broken future and only searched for peace and new beginnings. The ones who although scared were more than happy to open up their small apartment and invited her to dinner, who wanted to be shinobi of the village despite all that they've lost. The ones who were so sweet and polite to everyone around them although the pain they harbored inside their hearts was something not anyone sane could bare. If someone were to try and use her to hurt them, the kids who she started to think of like her own grandchildren, no matter who they are, they would have to be prepared to answer to her.

No one on the face of the earth would be able to withstand the wrath of Tsunade the Sanin, Fifth Hokage of Konoha if something were to happen to the three of them.

* * *

"There you are!" Naruto placed his hands on his hips and gave a scorning look to his sensei. "You're late!"

"Finally, Sensei," Sakura sighed.

"Yeah, uh," Kakashi rubbed his head. "Sorry about that. Took me awhile to finalize the paperwork for the new team."

"Hello!" Naruto had the urge to face-palm. "This is our first new mission as a new team!" He felt like pouting. "Couldn't you be just a little excited?" He gave his sensei a judging look. "Kakashi-sensei, you haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"Ugh, already you're annoying," Sakura covered her ears. "Shut up! Don't waste your breath. You know he's always looked unenthusiastic. Like he doesn't care."

Like she said, Kakashi seemed to be in his own thoughts and completely ignoring them. However, a hawk's cry made him lift his head up. Naruto and Sakura followed his gaze, watching a brown-feathered bird carrying a scroll on it's back.

They didn't know it yet, but that bird was symbolizing the first move in the game that was about to begin.

* * *

**Author's note: **GUYS WE PASSED 100 FOLLOWERS ON THIS FIC I MEAN WHAT THE ACTUAL FUC-

Thank you all so much! I love you guys! If you remember, in the chapter I posted in January, I mentioned my dream is for this fic to get 100 followers and favorites. We barely had 50 at the time, and now there are 100 people who will willingly read the crap I write. What a rush.

I just want to give a quick thank you and a shout out to the 100th person who followed, AKoala, thank you so much for helping one part of my dream to come true. I LOVE YOU!

_(Author has realized how crazy she sounded.) Ahem,_

And so the arc begins. Our time travelers are shinobi, Jiraiya and Himawari are gonna be BFFs don't me, Naruto and Sakura are confused, Boruto and Sarada are awkward, Kakashi is done with this shit, and I thrive from this all.

But in all seriousness, I love writing these chapters so much. I feel like I'm really getting a handle on the characters and their interactions, which is the best feeling ever. (If you hadn't noticed I have a little bit of a problem with my characters being OOC)

This chapter was short compared to the first one because I didn't have much to say in it. Next week, the mission for Gaara is a go.

Also, Himawari best cook don't me or I _will _cry.

Another thing; my updates are going to get a little more scattered from now on. I love this fic with all of my heart, but I also have my ups and downs with writing it. I don't want to force myself to write it so I won't hate it as a result. I'll start updating once every two weeks and see how I'm feeling about it. It'll also give me more time to work on the chapters more and make them great.

Thank you for reading this chapter! Don't forget to review and tell me what you think! I'm so excited, AAAAAAAAAAH!

**Beta Reader: **AgresteBug, whom I never forget to credit.


	18. To Sunagakure

**Disclaimer: I don't even know what day it is. Help.**

* * *

**Arc 2:**

**Chapter 18: To Sunagakure**

* * *

"Tsunade-sama!" The door slamming open put a pause on the chaos in the room. Sakura and Naruto, the latter strangling the former to keep him from talking back to the Hokage, both froze. "Terrible news!" The shinobi from deciphering ran to Tsunade and handed her a document.

"Now what is it?" Tsunade asked in annoyance, having already been pretty pissed about Naruto's immaturity.

"An emergency dispatch," the shinobi informed her. "From Suna."

Naruto stopped struggling against Sakura and stood up, listening in completely still. "Suna?" He asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

Tsunade scanned the document, her eyes scrutinizing. "What the-...?"

"It can't be!" Iruka, who leaned near her to read what was written, said.

"No way," Shizune whispered in horror from behind her.

"W-what is it?" Naruto stepped forward. "What's happened?"

"It's the Kazekage of Suna," Tsunade explained. "It seems he's been taken prisoner by the Akatsuki."

The three members of Team Kakashi tensed, each having their own reaction to the news. "You mean Gaara." Naruto didn't ask. "So they're back again," his fist clenched.

"We've been studying them," Tsunade explained. "We know more about the Akatsuki than any other village. Therefore Sunagakure has officially requested our help."

Shizune looked at her like she was mad. "You're not suggesting that Team Kakashi-"

"This is urgent," Tsunade cut her assistant's attempt at arguing. "I haven't time to form another team. And besides," she looked at Kakashi. "We have someone here who's actually fought the Akatsuki."

"Yes, but," Shizune was clearly not comfortable with the idea of sending the team just like that. "Even so-"

"Alright," Tsunade ignored her. "Team Kakashi, I'm assigning you a new mission." She looked at them with all the Hokage authority she could summon. "You're to go to Sunagakure at once. Find out what's going on there and keep us informed. You're to remain there and follow their orders. Give them any back up they need."

"Right!" The three of them answered. Tsunade then gave them all the other information written on the paper before sending them to pack. She watched them leave the room and leaned back on her chair, massaging her forehead.

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune turned to her. "Are you sure it's wise to send them alone there?"

"Who said I'm sending them alone?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her assistant.

"But you said-"

"That I didn't have time to assemble a new team," Tsunade nodded. "But luckily, I do have one ready." She smirked.

Shizune's eyes widened in understanding. "You don't mean-"

Tsunade nodded and handed her the document. "I want you to go there now and give them this," she looked straight into Shizune's eyes. "Do not take no for an answer. Tell them to be ready to leave in half an hour, and to wait by the gate. Understood?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune bowed and left the room hastily, off to wake up an unaware team and drag them into what could potentially be a mess. This was already turning into a headache.

"Who did you send her to call, Tsunade-sama?" Iruka asked curiously. "A jōnin team? ANBU?"

Tsunade laughed. "Oh, no," she shook her head. "I don't know exactly what they can do, but I promise you, we want them on our side."

_Hopefully, Naruto wouldn't be too upset by this,_ Tsunade thought to herself. _It is his first mission back, after all._

* * *

The frantic knocking on the door woke Boruto up, and he grudgingly walked out of his room to see what was happening. Next to him, Sarada and Himawari also stepped out, sleepy and disoriented.

"What's going on, Boruto?" Sarada rubbed her eye tiredly.

"I don't know," Boruto yawned. The knocking still hadn't stopped. "Let me go check."

Walking to the front door of the apartment, Boruto looked through the peephole. A very nervous looking Shizune stood on the other side of the door, her brow furrowed. He opened the door and rubbed the back of his head. "Shizune-san?" He asked. "What are you doing here so early, -ttebasa?"

"I was sent here by Tsunade-sama," Shizune explained to him and handed him a document. "She wants you and the girls to get your gear and prepare for departure in half an hour."

"Granny wants us to what?" Boruto wasn't sure he heard her correctly. Looking over the document, his eyebrows knitted closer the lower his gaze went until he reached the last line. "The Kazekage has been kidnapped?" He asked the Hokage's assistant.

Shizune nodded. "Tsunade-sama is sending Team Kakashi to Suna right away, but wanted me to go get you all as a backup team."

Boruto stood there, at the door, in his shorts and t-shirt, processing. Work with his father's younger self on a very dangerous, high-profiled mission? If he was asked to do that a few weeks ago, he would have laughed in their face, but now…

"Alright," he straightened his back. "We'll be there in a bit."

"You will?" Shizune breathed a breath of relief. "That's great. I'll go inform Tsunade-sama right away."

"Alright," Boruto nodded at her. "See you in a bit." He watched her turn away and closed the door, sighing. So much for hoping that he could take the day off.

"Onii-chan?" Himawari walked out of the hallway, still rubbing her eyes. "Who was at the door?"

"Himawari, tell Sarada to pack her mission gear. You too," Boruto walked by her and patted her head. "We have a mission."

"We do?" All tiredness seemed to disappear from Himawari's body once Boruto informed her of that.

"Yes, now go get ready," he opened the door to the bathroom. "We leave in ten minutes."

"Right!" Himawari nodded with a serious face and went into her room. He heard her inform Sarada of the situation and then the sounds of things being pulled out of drawers and closets, indicating they started looking for their gear.

Boruto leaned against the sink of the bathroom and looked at the mirror. Breathing deeply, he nodded at his reflection. "Right!"

It was time for their first mission, and they would not fail.

* * *

"Okay, let's get moving!" Naruto made sure his backpack was comfortably located on his shoulders.

"Be back soon, Tsunade-sama," Sakura smiled confidently at her master. "We won't let you down!" She saluted.

"Good," Tsunade nodded at them.

A grim-looking Iruka was avoiding eye contact, pointedly staring at his feet before he caught Naruto's eyes as he tried to smile, "Naruto, good luck!"

"Thanks!" Naruto nodded. He was going to save Gaara, no matter what. They started walking away before Jiraiya jumped out of nowhere and stood in their path.

"Hey there!" He smiled at them. "So, off on a mission Naruto?" He asked him.

"That's right!" Naruto felt the need to stand firm.

"Well, good for you," Jiraiya said almost absentmindedly. "But more importantly," he looked at Tsunade and walked toward her. "I got some disturbing news," he told her. "The Kazekage of Suna has been-"

"Yes, I know," Tsunade looked annoyed. "I'm dispatching a team. They're just leaving." She pointed at Team Kakashi. Jiraiya turned to as if he was expecting to see someone else, but instead the only team there was Naruto's. Naruto grinned confidently and nodded.

Jiraiya looked shocked and horrified at the idea. He walked to Tsunade and whispered something in her ear that Naruto couldn't hear clearly. Tsunade closed her eyes and whispered something back, looking irked. Jiraiya didn't seem to like her answer and squinted his eyes, saying something back. Turning to Naruto, he walked fast towards him. "Naruto," he called. "I want a word with you."

Naruto frowned. What now?

Walking to the side with Jiraiya, he waited to hear what the man had to say.

"Listen to me now," Jiraiya had a very serious expression on his face. "You be careful around those Akatsuki, you hear?"

"They've all been out looking for me, right?" Naruto said angrily. "Well, this way they won't have to look very far."

"It's true you've come a long way, Naruto," Jiraiya's face didn't change. "But training doesn't mean a thing if you get reckless and blow your cool. You still have a bad habit of losing your head, even now."

Naruto clenched his jaw.

Jiraiya leaned forward and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto," he looked straight into Naruto's eyes. "Never use that power. You know what I'm talking about."

Naruto looked down, not wanting to make eye contact with the Sage. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I know."

He stood there for another moment while Jiraiya walked to Kakashi and told him something. Kakashi smiled and nodded as he answered.

Naruto started walking off before turning back to his team. "Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, come on!" He called them. "What are we waiting for?"

Then he heard a call from behind him. "Sorry we're late!"

Naruto turned around to see three people running up to them. One blonde guy and two black-haired girls. Tsunade turned to them and nodded. "You're just in time," she told them before turning to Team Kakashi. "These will be your escort to Suna and your backup," she gestured to the three people. On a closer look, Naruto recognized the guy and the little girl from Ichiraku's, and the shorter girl next to him, he bumped into her!

"Sarada-san, you're coming too?" Sakura asked the girl in glasses. Sarada nodded, pushing her glasses up her nose. She had a red Konoha forehead protector and wore a simple sleeveless red vest and black shorts with a kunai holster. The girl next to her wore a yellow hoodie and long, baggy pants, her orange headband tied loosely to her neck. The guy wore an open black jacket with blue stripes on the sleeves, as well as baggy pants like his sister. His black forehead protector was tied to his head, accentuating his scar. They all looked mission-ready and serious.

"Team Kakashi," Tsunade looked at them. "Meet Boruto, Himawari, and Sarada. I picked them to go with you myself," she turned to Boruto. "Listen to what Kakashi says. You're there as the backup, not the main assault team."

Boruto nodded, his head lifting. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade blinked in surprise but smiled tightly at him. She turned to Sarada. "Remember what I taught you," she told her. "Yes, Tsunade-sama," Sarada answered with the same tone as Boruto's.

Tsunade nodded one final time. "Then go ahead," she told them all. "Complete the mission."

"Right!" They all answered as one.

Naruto went back to walking, the others following his swiftly. The route to Suna would take three days, but he planned on getting there even faster. Gaara was waiting for him.

* * *

Just as Himawari was about to join the group, Jiraiya blocked her. "Himawari-chan," he looked at the girl. "Can I count on you to take care of him for me?"

Himawari looked up at him and smiled. "Of course," she said with determination. "I promise, I'll protect them all."

"Good," Jiraiya smiled at her. "Good luck, then."

Himawari smiled at him and Tsunade one last time before running after the others.

If Jiraiya had known then what would happen to her during the mission, perhaps he wouldn't have allowed her to run off like that. Perhaps instead, he would have stopped her from even leaving the village. But alas, even he could not predict the future.

* * *

Naruto hurried ahead. Again.

"Naruto," Sakura jumped to the next branch. "I know you're in a hurry, but quit breaking formation."

"I know, but-" Naruto turned his head to look at her.

"Don't lose your cool," Kakashi lectured. "Jiraiya-sama taught you better than that, didn't he?"

Sakura saw that Naruto was glaring at their former sensei from the corner of his eye and sighed. "Oh, boy."

Next to her, Boruto jumped from a branch and landed in her and Kakashi's line. "Isn't he supposed to be in line with us?" He asked her, watching Naruto.

"Yeah," Sakura jumped to the next branch. "'Supposed to be' is the keyword."

Boruto chuckled. "He must really be worried about the Kazekage," he said, his lone eye tracking Naruto's back.

"He is," Sakura said. "But I wish he'd try to stay calm. At this rate, he'll exhaust himself before our first break."

"Onii-chan," Himawari appeared from Kakashi's side, leaning forward to speak with her brother. "How long until we'll be in Suna?"

"About three days," Kakashi answered in Boruto's stead. "That is if Naruto over there doesn't tire himself out and slow us down."

Himawari nodded and turned her gaze back to the trees ahead. On the next branch, instead of jumping off it, she used chakra directed to her feet to climb up the trunk a bit and push herself off there, shooting herself ahead with enhanced strength far enough so she could catch up with Naruto.

"Looks like we have two whiskered people who like to break formations," Kakashi stated dryly. Boruto watched his sister in concern for a moment before sighing. "She's just worried about Naruto," he said, getting weird looks from the both of them. "Because you said he's pushing himself too hard. She's going to check on him, to see if she can't help him calm down," he explained quickly.

"How do you know?" Sakura asked. Even though she worked with Sarada for a couple of weeks already, the siblings who lived with the bespectacled girl were very much a mystery to her.

"Because that's who she is," Boruto shrugged and used a kunai to cut a small branch away from his face before he collided with it.

"There's someone else here," Sarada informed them from her place at the end of the formation. "To your right, seven o'clock."

Sakura glanced down, noticing someone familiar walking the dirt path.

"Temari!" She called out to the fan-wielding girl.

Temari turned to face them all as they landed on the path. "What are doing here?" She asked them, suspicious. "Did something happen?"

"You don't know yet?" Sakura asked her. "We got a message from Suna. The Akatsuki infiltrated the village and have taken the Kazekage with them."

"Gaara?!" Temari called out in shock. "You mean he's been-"

Kakashi nodded silently, confirming her fear. Temari looked away, biting her lip.

"We're two and a half days out from Suna," Kakashi said. "We should hurry."

"Right," Temari nodded firmly and jumped up, the rest of the team following.

Hopefully, they'd get there on time.

* * *

The moon was already making its way to the middle of the sky and they were still jumping between branches, Naruto soaring ahead of them all.

Himawari was thankful that all of her training with Neji had helped her get accustomed to using her endurance in a way to not get tired. Just channel bits of her chakra every ten minutes to her limbs, lungs, brain, and heart. It strengthens the organs and helped her move forward.

She could almost feel the distress emitting from Naruto. And she knew her brother could too.

"Naruto, will you come on already?" Sakura asked him from behind Himawari. "Stop getting ahead of us!"

"I can't take this anymore!" Naruto yelled angrily and startled Himawari, who was just behind him.

"I know why they're after Gaara and me," Naruto said, and Himawari suddenly felt like an intruder to a private moment. "It's not like it's a mystery or anything." Without turning, he directed his words to Sakura. "You know too, don't you, Sakura-chan?"

They continued to move in silence before Naruto spoke again. "There's no point in hiding it," he said. "The spirit of the Kyūbi is sealed away inside of me."

Himawari averted her eyes from him and turned to look at her brother. Boruto had a hard-to-read expression, but she was almost sure he was sad. In their time, their father having Kurama inside of him was a reason for many civilians to sleep soundly at night. There were so many times he had saved the village using the power of the Kyūbi. The fox spirit had been named a hero, not a monster. But in this time, people still treated Naruto badly for having the spirit in him, and as much as she didn't like it, Himawari knew there wasn't much she could do to help. Only hope that eventually, people will realize that there is nothing to be afraid of.

"Gaara and I are the same," Naruto grabbed the front of his jacket as if his heart was hurting. "We both have monsters locked up inside of us. That's what these bastards are after!" He stepped on a branch with so much force it broke under his feet. Himawari had to make sure to be careful and not let her emotions get the best of her and cause her to destroy a tree or two by accident.

"That's the worst part about this!" Naruto yelled. "To them, were just monsters. All those bastards see is the means to an end!"

Himawari turned her face away from the group, so they won't see the tears welling up in her eyes. She could feel the hurt in her young father's voice. All she wanted to do was hug him and promise him it's going to be okay. But instead, all she could do was silently wipe her tears in silence and hope that nobody saw.

"Everything about us was exactly the same," Naruto said sadly, the tails of his headband moving in the wind. "And he had to fend for himself, a lot longer than I ever did. And now," Naruto crushed the branch underneath his feet as he pushed himself off again. "And now he's a target of the Akatsuki. One more thing we have in common."

The tears in Himawari's eyes flew freely into the night as they met with the wind hitting her face. She just hoped that if someone saw them, they'd think it's sweat.

"Why should his life be so full of misery all the time?" Naruto asked the wind. "Why is it always him?" But no one answered. "That's why I gotta hurry," he explained. "I don't have a second to waste!" He jumped to a low branch and launched himself into the air. "This time is gonna be different. I'm gonna be there to save him!"

A drop of water hit Himawari's face, but she was pretty sure it was not her own tear. Looking ahead, there was only one conclusion. She looked at the blonde in front of her, who was hiding his tears just like her.

A sudden shattering sound made them all look back, only to see that on his jump, Boruto used enough chakra to make the branch he stepped on disconnect from the tree and fall to the ground.

"Boruto?" Sarada looked at him in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Boruto shook his head. "Just a bit tired, that's all."

Her brother was so upset he accidentally broke a thick branch with his seems Himawari wasn't the only one who was struggling to keep her emotions in check.

* * *

It was early morning, yet Sarada still felt energized. The headaches that had plagued her for the last couple of weeks had become so frequent she could now even predict when they'd happen. She still had… three more hours before another one occurred, so she needed to keep up her strength to be able to heal herself right away when it happens.

"Sakura-san," she called to the pink-haired medic. "Do you have any soldier pills on you, by any chance?"

Sakura looked at her. "Yeah, I have some," she opened a small pocket and took out two. "Here you go," she placed one in Sarada's hand and took the other one herself.

"You know, these soldier pills are only for emergencies," Kakashi informed them, mildly concerned. "And girls at your age should especially be careful with the high fat-" Both Sarada and Sakura glared at him before jumping ahead. She liked Kakashi, she really did. But sometimes he said things that made her want to punch him._ Ever heard of sexual harassment?_

"Naruto," Sakura moved closer to the blonde. "So tell me. You've met him before, haven't you?"

"Huh?" Naruto clearly didn't know who Sakura was referring to.

"Itachi Uchiha," Sakura clarified and Sarada inwardly winced. She forgot that to them, Itachi was a dangerous and evil individual. "He's after you now, isn't he?"

Naruto stared at her dumbfounded and she frowned at him. "You know, it's not like I spent my time just training this past two and a half years," she said. "I snuck into Tsunade-sama's library and snuck out of the village as much as I could. And now, the one thing that bothered me more than anything else has become a reality." Her gaze became distant for a few moments. _Is she thinking about Papa?_ Sarada wondered.

"The person that Sasuke wanted to kill, it was his older brother, Itachi, wasn't it?" Sakura asked Naruto. "A member of the Akatsuki." Sarada gasped and felt like someone punched her in the gut.

_Papa wanted to kill… Itachi-niisan?_

It didn't make sense. From all that her father had told her about her uncle, he always made sure to describe him as a wonderful and kind person. Not someone he'd want to kill.

What did he tell her, that time she asked how Itachi had died?

"I made a mistake."

She felt like the world has stopped moving, and everything around her blurred away. He couldn't have… did he? Why would he do that? Why praise the person you wanted to kill? Nothing made sense. The pressure she had learned to associate with her headaches had appeared behind her eyes, throbbing, and making her dizzy.

"Sarada?" Boruto jumped to the branch next to her. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," she barely managed to utter, the pain in her eyes grew stronger. "It's just a headache. I'll be alright."

Boruto frowned, watching her worriedly. She focused her chakra on the nerves of her eyes, where she felt the most pressure and started the healing process. Healing herself without the use of the Mystic Palm was a strange experience, and she needed absolute concentration. She tried to relax her mind and body, leaving it on auto-pilot. Come on… come on… she urged the process.

Slowly the pain subsides, but her vision was blurry. Not understanding why, considering she was wearing her glasses, Sarada turned to Boruto to ask him about only for him to gasp. "Sarada!" He yelled-whispered. "Your eyes!"

"What about them?" She asked, confused.

"Your Sharingan, it's appearing," he explained in a hushed tone. "Make it disappear."

"Oh," she blinked. Had she accidentally activated her Sharingan? Focusing for a moment, she felt the special chakra that belonged to the Sharingan recede back to her head, leaving her eyes and sighed.

One thing was for sure. The next time she saw Itachi, she was going to have a talk with him.

She didn't notice that while she was having her headache/panic attack, Naruto and Sakura had been discussing something important. Now she'd never know.

* * *

Naruto stood on the tree branch and watched the forest, his mind elsewhere. Underneath him, the rest of the group was resting against the trees, the fire they made earlier long gone. Sunrise was beginning, and soon, they'd be on their way again. On their way to Gaara.

"Can't sleep?" Out of nowhere, Boruto had appeared on Naruto's branch, sitting crossed legged. Naruto watched him suspiciously. Something about Boruto just seemed off. He couldn't quite place his finger on it though.

"Not really," he answered.

"Yeah," Boruto nodded. "I guess that would be the case if they took one of your friends from you."

Naruto looked at Boruto in surprise, but he just looked back at him with a small smile. "I have ears, you know. I heard you talking about you and the Kazekage."

"Oh," that means he also heard the part about the Kyūbi. "A-are you sure you want to be near me?" He asked Boruto. "After all, I do have the Kyūbi in me."

"So?" Boruto asked him. "Why should that matter?"

Naruto stared at him. No one has ever dismissed the fact of the Kyūbi so easily. "Don't you get it?" Naruto frowned. "The Kyūbi that destroyed Konoha is inside of me."

"I get it, believe me," Boruto uncrossed his legs and let them dangle off the branch. "But that doesn't mean anything. It's not like you went around and destroyed the village."

Naruto blinked. "Well, yeah, but still-"

"It almost sounds like you want me to hate you," Boruto told him with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I don't!" Naruto was getting confused.

"Then there's no problem," Boruto got up and stood next to Naruto. "Look," he said. "I can't imagine what you've been through all of those years, but I don't think it matters. People aren't what they seem. And you don't really look like a blood-thirsty demon fox to me, -ttebasa."

Naruto blinked. "What did you say?" He asked Boruto.

"...that you don't look like a bloodthirsty demon?" Boruto half-asked.

"No, after that," Naruto urged. "What did you say after that?"

"Oh," Boruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "That verbal tic thingy. Yeah, it happens to me sometimes. Luckily Hima never had it, otherwise, Mom might have felt left out."

"Your mom?" Naruto asked. He realized that he didn't know much about Boruto at all.

"Yeah," Boruto smiled nostalgically. "The best mom in the world. And the best cook, too." He chuckled again. "Just don't tell Hima I said that," he whispered.

Naruto chuckled too, surprised at how easy it was for Boruto to cheer him up. "What about your dad?" He asked, and Boruto froze. "Oh, sorry."

"No, it's okay," Boruto shook his head. "It's just that… Dad and I had an odd relationship, is all. Nothing to worry about."

"What was he like?" Naruto asked, curious. It wasn't any day he got to speak with others who had lost their parents like he lost his.

"My Dad?" Boruto tilted his head in thought. "He was absent-minded, disorganized, a slob on his days off, acted like a baby when Mom was around, used to wear his shoes wrong, and was almost always late." Naruto winced, it sounded like the guy was a piece of work.

"He was the best dad ever," Boruto said, smiling sadly. Naruto blinked and looked at him in surprise. "But you just said-"

"All of his bad qualities?" Boruto shrugged. "Just because a person has bad qualities doesn't mean there aren't any good ones too. And Dad, as shitty as he was, had one of the best qualities a person could have," he scratched his neck, turning to look Naruto. "My dad was amazingly strong, and it seems like everyone depended on him. He was really busy and didn't get to come home a lot."

"Oh, is that right?" Naruto tilted his head. Boruto's dad started to sound pretty amazing.

"But," Boruto unconsciously smiled. "When he was home, I guess he was so exhausted that he became completely useless again!"

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. Boruto really seemed to go back and forth on his opinion about his dad. "What was that like?"

"On Himawari's birthday, we got a special cake all ready for her," Boruto told him, shaking his head with a smile. "But my dad was so tired, he dropped the whole thing before we could eat it!"

Naruto laughed. "You're right, he sounds like a totally useless dad." Naruto then figured what he said was insensitive. "But you know," he continued. "It seems like you enjoy talking about your family a lot."

Boruto blinked. He must have been unaware of the smile on his face.

"Even if your dad's like that, you don't hate him, do you?" Naruto asked.

Boruto didn't answer for a few moments, a sad smile on his face. Then he placed for his hands behind his head and nodded. "No, I don't hate him."

That talk about Boruto's dad made Naruto think about Gaara. He was the leader of Suna, and if what the report said was true, he was only taken because he was also busy protecting his people. They depended on Gaara like the people of Boruto's village depended on his dad. Who knows where he was now, and what those Akatsuki bastards were doing to him. Boruto must have noticed where his thoughts were going because he placed a hesitant hand on Naruto's shoulder and squeezed it. "He'll be alright," he told Naruto firmly. "You'll save him."

"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "Thanks, Boruto."

Boruto gave him a short nod and jumped down from the branch, landing neatly on his feet and walking over to where Sarada and Himawari slept. He ruffled Himawari's hair and whispered something to her, and she stirred a little. Naruto wondered what their parents were like. From the way Boruto talked about his dad, Naruto didn't know what to think. The guy sounded like a bum and a no-good, but at the same time, he sounded like a hero.

A sudden flash in his mind caused him to stop. _Two men with white skin and horns, floating above him. The shorter one smirked. An explosion-_

Naruto blinked. What was that?

Underneath him, Kakashi got up from the tree he was leaning against. "Alright," he said. "Break time's over."

Sakura stretched and looked to the sides. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, where's Naruto?"

"Right up there," Kakashi pointed upwards.

The sun was finally rising.

_One more day until we reach Suna, _Naruto thought to himself. _We have to hurry._

Naruto stayed unmoving while the others grabbed their stuff and prepared to set out.

"Okay," Kakashi raised his voice so that Naruto could hear him clearly. "Let's get moving."

"Are we going now?" Himawari rubbed her eyes absentmindedly as Naruto jumped down and grabbed his backpack.

"Yeah," Boruto told her as he counted the kunai in his holster and closed it. "We'll be there soon."

"I hope so," Naruto heard Sarada say. "I want to check something when we get there."

"You guys ready?" Kakashi asked them and they nodded as one. "Then let's move out."

One more day, and then they could rescue Gaara.

* * *

Tsunade sneezed, pretty loudly too. Rubbing her nose, she tried to breathe calmly.

"Tsunade-sama, are you alright?" Shizune asked her worryingly.

"I'm fine," Tsunade sighed and leaned on her desk.

"There's a very bad cold going around the village," Shizune placed down a teacup and a teapot. "You really should be careful."

"I will," Shizune nodded and left the room, leaving Tsunade to wonder if she should go take some cold medicine.

Team Kakashi left two days ago, Tsunade read an interesting report without taking in any word from it. If all goes well they should be there tomorrow morning.

Reaching for her tea, the cup had cracked before she could touch it, and her eyes widened. "That's a bad sign." Pushing herself from her desk, she looked for the lottery ticket she filled out that morning. "Don't tell me-"

Placing it on the newspaper next to the winning number written on the page, she scanned the numbers. Group three, number one one seven zero three seven. The numbers matched. _I knew it! _She bit her lip, frustrated._ I won, and first prize too. Definitely, a bad omen._

"Shizune!" She called for her assistant. "Shizune, get in here!"

_I hope those kids are fine,_ she thought to herself worryingly.

Is what the mysterious woman said coming true? Is the first move about to be made?

* * *

They stopped walking once they crossed the forest and reached the desert, looking over the dunes of sand.

"Alright," Naruto groaned. "We finally reached the desert!"

Boruto scanned the mountains of the waste, calculating. By this time tomorrow, they'd be at Suna. Meaning the fight will begin soon after. He glanced at Himawari and Sarada, both of them a bit tired, but determined.

"Sunagakure is just up ahead," Temari walked forward and then turned to them. "It's best if I take the lead from here on out."

"Lead on," Kakashi nodded.

They started walking into the desert, their feet sinking a little bit into the sand before they lifted them to take another step. Last time Boruto was in the Wind country's deserts he was on a mission with Sarada and Mitsuki, to deliver an important artifact to the Suna. That felt like a lifetime ago.

* * *

"I'm assigning you essentially the same mission as Team Kakashi," Tsunade told them. "Get to the Sunagakure as fast as possible and provide any support necessary. Is that clear?"

"Crystal!" Guy gave her his Nice Guy thumbs up.

Lee finished tying his shoes and nodded. "Ready, Tsunade-sama!"

Tenten adjusted her backpack. "Leave it to us!"

"We're on it," Neji said.

"Good," Tsunade nodded with her hands crossed.

"Team Guy is always ready for action," Guy said before sneezing.

"You have a cold?" Tsunade asked with mild concern.

"No, no!" Guy waved her off. "Just my allergies acting up. That's all!" He laughed. "Don't worry, we'll make it to Suna in one day!"

"I think we can make it in half a day, Sensei!" Lee told him.

"It will take three days, no matter how you slice it," Neji told them with a frown.

"Yeah," Tenten rolled her eyes. "What's the point of making promises we can't keep, huh?"

"We won't know until we try, will we?" Guy didn't let their comments affect him. "Forward everyone, with the speed of youth!"

"Before that," Tsunade stopped them. "Neji, may I have a moment with you?"

Neji was surprised but nodded, walking to the side with her. He could feel the curious gazes of his teammates but choose to ignore them. "What is it, Tsunade-sama?"

"I just thought I should inform you that I sent Boruto and Himawari on that mission as well," she told him and he blinked in surprise.

"I see," Neji nodded. "Anything else?"

"Just make sure you keep an eye on them," Tsunade tapped her arm with her finger. "Something tells me this mission is not going to be nearly as easy as I hoped."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Neji raised his head. "As long as I'm there, no one will lay a finger on them."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Kid," Tsunade shook her head and started heading back to the group.

Neji frowned. "It's not something I can't keep," he told her back quietly. "I intend on making sure of that."

* * *

The sandstorm that had begun a few hours after they walked in the desert was still going strong, trapping them in the cave longer.

"We got this close to our target and we're just sitting here!" Naruto complained angrily. "I can't stand this waiting!" He was about to go out of the cave before Kakashi stopped him. "Naruto, for the last time, relax." He told him. "There's nothing we can do."

"I know but-" Naruto sounded frustrated.

"Just be patient," Sakura scolded him. "Would you look at Temari? She's the one who's worried the most."

_Temari does seem calm,_ Himawari noted as she glanced at the blonde girl.

"The cardinal role of traveling in the desert; if you hit a sandstorm, you stay put," Temari recited.

"You lose all your sense of direction in a storm like that," Boruto commented, making them all look at him.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Have you traveled in the desert before?" Temari asked him.

"A couple of times, yeah," Boruto nodded, and Himawari noticed her brother was choosing his words carefully. "Running errands for my dad and stuff."

"I see," Temari said, relaxing against the cave's wall. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we have been introduced."

"I guess not," Boruto chuckled. "I'm Boruto," he slightly bowed with his head.

"Temari," she answered before turning back to Naruto. "Don't worry, the sandstorms we get this time of year usually don't last very long."

Kakashi removed his hand from Naruto's shoulder and the boy looked out to the sandstorm raging out there. "Well," Naruto said. "I just hope you're right."

A stomach growling broke the silence around the cave.

"Onii-chan," Himawari turned to her brother with a scolding tone. "If you're hungry, you should say so."

"I'm not hungry," Boruto protested, but then his stomach growled again, louder this time. Sarada laughed and Himawari sighed, going through her bag. Taking out some dried meat, she gave it to him. "Eat it, please?"

Boruto tried to resist her but eventually sighed and took the meat, chewing on it.

"Are any of you hungry?" Himawari asked the rest of the group. They shook their heads.

"No," Sakura said. "Thank you though, Himawari-san."

Himawari smiled at her. "Just Himawari is fine," she told the pink-haired girl. "Himawari-san makes me feel old."

Boruto chuckled. "Yeah," he said while chewing some dried meat. "We wouldn't want that."

Himawari blushed. "Onii-chan!" She called out in embarrassment. Sarada punched Boruto's head and sighed. "Idiot Boruto," she mumbled.

"Ow! that hurt, Sarada," Boruto rubbed the place she hit him.

"Don't tease Himawari," Sarada told him.

In front of them, Temari chuckled. "You all seem to have a close relationship." She noted.

"Do we?" Boruto asked sulking, still rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"You do, actually," Sakura said. "Like a family."

"Well, Boruto and Himawari are siblings," Sarada said, pointing at Himawari who was checking the contents of her bag and Boruto who was sulking and eating the last of his meal. Himawari looked up from her bag and shook her head. "You're our family too, Sarada," she told the Uchiha. "And when we grow up and you and Onii-chan get married, we'll be related for real!"

Boruto choked on the meat and started coughing violently, and Sarada blushed ten shades of red. "Himawari!" They both yelled, mortified. She could tell they were slightly angry, so while giggling, she moved away from them and sat between Kakashi and Naruto, to protect herself. The two shinobi must have been surprised she just suddenly sat down between them as they sent her curious looks, but she was too busy laughing. "I'm sorry, Onii-chan, Sarada," she said eventually, having calmed down at last.

Sarada huffed, her cheeks still red. "You have to stop saying stuff like that," she told Himawari scoldingly, Boruto nodding next to her.

Hima had to use everything she had not to comment on something else, giggling again instead. Her giggling was then stopped by a loud yawn that escaped her mouth.

"Are you tired?" Sakura asked her.

"Mhm, a bit," Himawari said, rubbing her eye.

"You should get some rest while you can," Boruto told her, his only eye scanning her features with worry. "Barely rested at all on the breaks."

"Okay," Himawari was tired, so she didn't argue. Leaning against the cave's wall, she adjusted herself to get comfortable and closed her eyes. The storm wailing outside reminded her of the storms she used to listen too when she was younger, only that then she had her parents there with her.

Without her noticing, her head fell down onto Naruto's shoulder, making the blonde freeze. But before he could say anything, she had drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Naruto sat still as Himawari slept on his shoulder. It had been around twenty minutes after she fell asleep, and he still didn't know what to do. At first, he glanced at Boruto and Sarada to ask for assistance, but those two just shrugged and went back to waiting for the sandstorm to pass, as if Himawari falling asleep like that was a common happening. Afterward, he tried to relax and just let her sleep. She looked like she was sleeping soundly, which was good.

_She must have been really tired,_ Naruto figured.

Another few minutes passed before the sandstorm started to weaken. Temari started moving and getting her stuff together. "It's almost over," she said. "We should get going."

"Right," Naruto was about to stand up when Himawari squirmed, making one of the cutest sleepy sounds he had ever heard. "Um…" he looked around at his friends, silently asking for help. What should he do?

Boruto chuckled and got up, walking to them and crouching next to Himawari. "Hima," he nudged her gently. "It's time to move," he told her.

Himawari still didn't open her eyes, making a whining sound and cuddling closer to Naruto. The Uzumaki blinked in surprise. Was his shoulder that comfortable?

"Hima," Boruto touched her shoulder. "Come on, we need to go."

"No," Himawari mumbled in her sleep, turning her body away from Boruto. "No, no." She started to squirm more, her eyelids moving fast like her eyeballs under them were going all over the place.

"Mama!" She yelled, shooting up and panting. Looking around, she probably didn't recognize where she was. Her eyes were wide and her pupils were dilated. Boruto grabbed her shoulders and shushed her, remaining calm unlike Naruto, who was completely nervous about the Himawari's sudden outburst.

"It's okay, Hima," Boruto told his sister with a calm tone. "It was just a dream," he said, smoothing her hair. "Just a bad dream."

Himawari's trembling seem to have calmed, and she breathed deep a few times, blinking rapidly. "I-"

"It's okay," Boruto removed his hands from her shoulders and handed her the bag. "We're about to move out. The storm stopped."

"R-right," Himawari drew a shaky breath. She looked around and her shoulders relaxed a little more as she recognized the people around her. She reached out and took her backpack from Boruto, wearing it slowly. "Okay."

They all understood Boruto's behavior as a sign to not mention Himawari's outburst. It must have been a common thing because Boruto didn't even flinch the whole time. They got their things and waited for the last remains of the storm to blow out.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Once we get to Suna, we're going to have to meet with the Council right away and get our instructions," he told the team. "We won't be able to make any moves until we're told so, do you understand, Naruto?" He asked Naruto who huffed.

"Yeah, yeah," he said dismissively. "Now let's go already, -ttebayo!"

And so, they began their final steps to Sunagakure, and to Gaara.

* * *

**Author's note: **now, before anything else… corona sux.

Okay, now that we got that out of the way, hi! This chapter was a fun one. If you didn't notice, I'm still not bringing such big changes to the timeline just yet, but I'm inserting more subtle changes, to slowly but surely change things. I believe all the characters need to bond first, not just trust each other blindly because of the plot, and I'm working to do that accordingly. Those little interactions between them are what eventually will make the bonds stronger.

For those wondering, Boruto and Naruto's conversation is taken from the time travel arc in the Boruto anime, with little tweaks and changes. I try to see how Himawari and Boruto being there might affect Naruto's overall mood. In the anime and manga, he's very focused and impatient to get to Gaara, and it's not like they are not, but they're also trying to be more calm and collected, like their mother. I guess one of the perks of having Hinata as their mother is that they can stay calmer than Naruto.

About my updating schedule: it doesn't exist anymore. I will try to update as frequently as I can. This arc is planned to be 16-20 chapters long, so hopefully, it won't take too much time for me to finish writing it. But I need to be in a certain mood to be able to write fanfiction, so it's always a gamble. I figure that this story is sort of an AU at this point. of course, it WAS technically an AU from the start. But eh, why get stuck on specifics?

What did you think of the chapter? Please leave your review and let me know what you think!

Thank you for reading!

**Beta Reader: **AgresteBug, I don't know what I would do without you.


	19. After the Kazekage!

**Disclaimer: This should have been up a week ago. Oops?**

* * *

**Arc 2:**

**Chapter 19: After the Kazekage!**

* * *

Their arrival at Suna had not been a pleasant one.

"Kankurō!" Temari, Sakura, and Sarada ran into the room and threw their bags to the floor, rushing straight to the examination table.

Kakashi watched them from the threshold, trying to give them room to work in, when all of a sudden the old woman who was in the room charged at him, her fists raised. "Damn you!" She yelled at him. "Get ready to defend or die!"

Before he could react, Naruto made a hand seal and created a few clones. One of them had stopped the woman's fist while another tried to catch her leg, only for her to kick him in the face, causing his clone to dispel. She jumped away with surprising agility for her age.

"What do you think you're doing, attacking Kakashi-sensei like that?" Naruto asked her angrily. "You wrinkly old prune!"

"I haven't forgotten what you did," the woman looked at Kakashi with smoldering anger in her eyes. "I have waited for this day, White Fang of Konoha! The day I wreak vengeance on you, for what you did to my son!"

"Eh, no, no!" Kakashi raised his hands to show he was not armed. "You see-"

"That's enough talk!" She didn't listen. She was about to attack when another old man stood in front of her and raised his hand. "Take a closer look at the man, Neechan,"

"Huh?" The woman glared at Kakashi, who laughed nervously and tried to look as unthreatening as possible.

"There's indeed a resemblance, but this one is not the White Fang," the old man said.

"Hello," Kakashi waved to the woman.

"Besides, as you know, the White Fang of Konoha died long ago," the man continued, and Kakashi almost winced. "Remember? When you heard the news, you wept in frustration because you wouldn't be able to have your vengeance." The woman narrowed her eyes at Kakashi, examining him. "Isn't that so, Neechan?"

"Oh, well," she said in a happy old lady voice, startling all of them with the sudden change of her demeanor. "Nevermind." She laughed full-heartedly. Her laugh was cut short, however, when Kankurō started struggling against the medics, sweating profusely.

"Here, let us take a look at him," Sakura said as she tied her hair. Sarada nodded and did the same, leaning over Kankurō.

"Yes, please," Temari asked of them, not removing her concerned gaze from her brother.

Sakura turned to the room of people wearing varying expressions of worry and concern while Sarada checked Kankurō's temperature. "Listen, it might help if you all clear out and give us some room."

"You got it, Sakura-chan," Naruto said as they started walking out of the room, leaving the two girls with the young man writhing in pain.

* * *

Sakura checked Kankurō's pupils using a small flashlight from her pocket. Meanwhile, Sarada read over the medical chart. "He was poisoned," she informed Sakura. "It seems he has been in this declining state for almost three full days. They gave him sedatives."

Sakura nodded and inserted two fingers into Kankurō's mouth, taking out a spit sample.

"What are you-" one of the medics in the room tensed. "Who are you?"

"We're Konohagakure medical shinobi," Sakura answered and Sarada pushed her glasses up her nose, checking Kankurō's pulse by placing her head on his bandaged chest and listening to his heartbeat.

"We're definitely dealing with a heavy, metal-based toxin," Sarada informed Sakura. The intense rhythmic tapping was one of the things Sarada's mother had taught her to recognize from a young age. In hindsight, perhaps it was because of what happened to Kankurō that Future Sakura was so strict when it came to recognizing poisons. Clearing her head from those thoughts, Sarada focused back on the heartbeat. It was too fast for her liking, making her frown in concern.

"The kind that destroys muscle tissue?" Sakura asked her. They didn't run into poisons like that too often.

Sarada nodded. "Seems so," she said as she lifted her head from his chest. "It's destroying the integrity of the cells."

"You're able to learn all that, in one look?" The medics of Suna sounded shocked, but Sarada didn't have time to be proud of herself.

"According to his chart," Sarada looked at the clipboard in her hands. "It seems that the cardiac muscle will be weakened to the point where the heart will collapse and cease functioning altogether. It's doubtful we'll be able to come up with an antidote in time."

"What are you saying?!" Temari snapped angrily in misplaced panic, her brow creased in worry as she stared down the two medics."There's nothing you can do?"

Sakura and Sarada looked at her in understanding before looking at each other. Sarada had a determined look in her eyes, and Sakura nodded. "We're gonna need a few things, and we'll need them quickly." She told the medics. "This is gonna be pretty crude but, it's the only option we have."

Sarada tied her hair up as well, adjusting her glasses. The medics went to get the things Sakura wrote down for them while they got ready for the procedure.

"Are you ready for this?" She asked Sarada. The girl nodded, stretching her arms. "We can do this," Sarada said confidently.

The medics came back with large pots filled with the medicinal herb water and placed them on either side of Kankurō. Two next to Sakura, two next to Sarada. They both placed their hands on the water at the same time, preparing to start.

"Hold him down and don't let him move," Sakura told the other medics firmly. "This part of the procedure is not going to be easy for him."

"Alright," Temari positioned herself near Kankurō's head, holding it down while the other medics grabbed his other limbs.

Sakura and Sarada extracted water bubbles from the pots, both of the bubbles glued to their palms. They held the substance steadily above his chest.

"Ready?" Sakura asked Sarada.

"Ready." She answered.

"Here goes," Sakura inserted the bubble into Kankurō's chest, and he started screaming in pain, his body thrusting up off the table. The medics struggled as they held him down, his thrashing making it harder to keep his back pinned to the table. Sarada took her cue and inserted another bubble to his abdomen, his piercing scream from the intense pain sending chills down their spines. He managed to break the medics hold, shooting up into a sitting position.

"You need to hold him down!" Sarada ordered, pushing Kankurō down with her free hand and maintaining the pressure until the medics grabbed him again.

* * *

_Gotta pour my chakra into his body, _Sakura tried to concentrate despite the screams of pain. She focused past the painful sounds Kankuro couldn't hold in and allowed the bubble to sink into the joint between his shoulder and his arm, straight into his heart. She could feel how the muscle was slowly weakening. "Sarada," she said warningly to the girl.

"I got it," Sarada answered, sinking her bubble into his bloodstream.

Purge the toxins from his cells and force it to the surface, Sakura tried to picture the toxin floating up and being sucked into the bubble. Draw it into the bubble, and extract it!

She moved her hand up and pulled out the bubble, this time with remnants of the poison in it. On the table's other side, Sarada did the same, but quicker. Unlike Sakura who was dealing with the delicate heart organ, Sarada had to move quickly or the kidneys would have collapsed from the poison. She moved her hands in an almost hypnotic way, but Sakura didn't look away from her mission.

"What's that?" Temari looked at the bubble in Sakura's hand. "Is that the poison?"

Sakura didn't answer, making quick eye contact with Sarada, who nodded. She counted to three in her hand before completely taking out the bubbles simultaneously with Sarada.

The moved the bubbles into empty pots and went back to work. "Another!" Sakura commanded.

"Right!" The medics nodded and replaced the medicinal waters on both sides.

Sarada was already inserting the bubble again when she froze.

"What is it?" Sakura stopped her hand before she inserted the bubble on her side.

"The poison," Sarada frowned. "I can't find it."

"What do you mean, you can't find it?" Temari asked in a panic.

"It's because it became to thin. I can't feel it," Sarada explained.

"That's not good," Sakura clenched her teeth. "If it's in his bloodstream, it can get to his heart, fast."

"I know," Sarada nodded. "If only I could see it-" she suddenly raised her head as if she had an idea.

"Do you have anything?" Sakura asked her, noticing the determined look in her eyes.

"I might," Sarada said unconfidently. "But I need you all to close your eyes."

"What?" Temari asked her in anger. "This is no time for jokes!"

"It's not a joke," Sarada's expression became surer and surer. "I need you all to close your eyes."

The medics looked at Sakura, waiting to see what she decided. Sakura looked at Sarada, who gave her a pleading look. Nodding, she closed her eyes. She didn't see what happened next, but it seemed as though all the others closed their eyes too.

She heard Sarada breathe deeply before there was a sudden spike of chakra from her. It was subtle, but Sakura had a feeling she felt it before somewhere. Opening her eyes to a crack, she saw Sarada leaned over Kankurō's body and scan it up close. Suddenly, she stopped over the area just below his ribs and moved her bubble over there. Sakura tried to see what Sarada was doing but didn't want to risk opening her eyes more than the tiny crack she already opened. Sarada inserted the bubble, making Kankurō scream and struggle. "Hold him down!" She yelled, and they all did so with their eyes closed. Kankurō continued to scream for a couple of moments before Sarada extracted the bubble again, pulling out the poison that got away. Sakura sighed in relief once Kankurō stopped struggling and was about to open her eyes completely when she saw it.

A flash of red in Sarada's eyes.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now," Sarada told them all, and Sakura opened her eyes fully, still trying to understand what she saw.

It was probably just Sarada's red glasses reflecting the light in the room.

"It's your turn," Sarada told Sakura as she dumped the poison in the bowl. Sakura nodded and expelled all thoughts not about her patient away, focusing on extracting the rest of the poison.

They might be able to save him after all.

* * *

Naruto sat outside the room with Kakashi, Boruto, Himawari, and the old people.

Suddenly, a question popped in his mind. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm?" Kakashi hummed while reading his book.

"Who the heck is this White Fang of Konoha that got the old lady so angry?" He asked his sensei. "Got any ideas?"

"Ah, that's a tricky one," Kakashi sighed and closed his book. "How to put it… he was, well in a word, he was my father." Kakashi said reluctantly.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion.

"Y-you're the… the orphan son of the White Fang?" The old lady asked in shock.

"Yeah," Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.

"Who was this White Fang guy?" Himawari asked Boruto, both of them sitting on the floor against the wall in front of the bench.

"He was a great shinobi of the village," Boruto explained to her, their conversation attracting the attention of the four people on the bench. "He died a long time ago, though."

"Oh," Himawari looked up at Kakashi apologetically. "Sorry, Kakashi-sensei."

"It's okay," Kakashi smiled at her. "No harm done."

Himawari nodded and looked at him, noticing the book in his hand. "Is that Make Out Tactics?" She asked him.

"It is," Kakashi blinked in surprise. "Do you know it?"

"Mhm," Himawari nodded, staring at the cover intensely. "Nobody would tell me what's it about, though."

"Oh," Kakashi coughed. "Well…"

"Hima," Boruto cut him off abruptly. "Want to go look for something to eat?"

"Eh?" Himawari tilted her head. "But you ate before we arrived," she reminded her brother while he got up.

"I'm hungry again," he offered her his hand and helped her get up. "Let's go."

"Alright…" Himawari looked confused.

Boruto turned to look at Naruto and Kakashi. "We'll be back in a bit," he told them. And Kakashi nodded. "Don't go too far, you two."

Himawari sent one last confused glance at them before Boruto lead her away into the halls. Next to Naruto, Kakashi sighed in relief. "Phew," the masked jōnin said. "I don't know what I would've done if I had to explain the book to her."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at his sensei. "You really are a pervert, huh Sensei?"

* * *

Sakura moved towards the door, opening it to see the small group of ninja standing outside. Kakashi asked concerned, seeing how tired Sakura looked, "How did it go?"

Sakura wiped her forehead, sighing in relief. She smiled at them. "We removed most of the poison," she told them while Sarada wiped her hands with a cloth. "I believe that ought to put him out of any immediate danger."

The rest of the medics sighed in relief as well. Kankurō now laid quietly on the table, sleeping more soundly. It had been a few hours since she and Sarada started the procedure, and it was almost noon now.

Naruto and Kakashi walked into the room behind her. "Way to go, Sakura-chan!" Naruto praised her. She shook her head. "I couldn't have done it without Sarada-san," she turned to the other medic, who was untying her hair.

Sarada smiled at her. "You didn't need me," she said. "I just helped speed up the process a bit, that's all."

Temari walked back until she hit the wall, and then collapsed against it, sinking to the floor. She rested a hand on her heart and breathed in and out.

"He's not completely out of the woods yet," Sakura said, making sure everybody was listening. "Now then, we have to quickly put together an antidote for the traces of toxin still remaining in his body."

"I see," the shinobi she remembered was Kankurō and Temari's sensei nodded. "Anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"Well," Sakura locked eyes with Sarada, who was wiping Kankurō's forehead with a damp cloth. "First I'll need a list of all the medicinal herbs that you have in this village."

"Yes, at once," one of the medics left quickly to retrieve that for her.

"And we should change these bandages for new ones," she told the other medic, who nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"I'll need an IV drip set up, stat," she pointed on the device in the corner and Sarada nodded. "I got it," she said.

"Oh, and be sure to set up a small portion of the toxin we extracted for examination," she told the last medic. "I'll be needing it later."

She untied her hair and took off her headband, freeing her hair. "You remind me of the old Slug Queen, Tsunade." The old woman from before told her. "Isn't it strange, you turning up in our village like this?"

"Well, after all," Sakura re-tied her headband. "Tsunade-sama is our teacher." She gestured at Sarada who was setting up the IV. "Both of us. And it was by her order that we came here." She smiled.

"Here's that list of medicinal herbs," one of the medics handed the paper to her.

"Good, thank you very much." She thanked him and looked it over.

* * *

"Baki-dono, a reply from Konoha," the messenger left the scroll in Baki's hands and left.

"Thank you," Baki scanned the contents before giving it to Kakashi. "It's from your Hokage."

Kakashi took it from him and read it. "From Grandma Tsunade?" Naruto asked. "What'd she say?"

"She says that Team Guy is on its way here to back us up," Kakashi told Naruto, Boruto, and Himawari.

"Neji-niisan's team?" Himawari asked eagerly, looking up at Kakashi from her spot against the wall.

_Niisan?_ Kakashi wondered. "Yes," he nodded, handing Naruto the scroll. "I didn't realize you knew them."

"She doesn't," Boruto said from his spot on the bench, where he sat with his arms crossed over his chest. "She only knows Neji," he glared at his sister. Who blinked and then laughed nervously, rubbing her neck.

_Interesting,_ Kakashi noted to inquire more later.

In the meantime, Naruto laughed cheerfully as he read the scroll. "I can't wait to see how much they've all changed," he looked up from the page. "I hear even Neji's been made a jōnin."

Clenching his fist, Naruto looked up. "Well, all right!" He yelled. "No sense waiting around for them to get here. Let's go after the Akatsuki right now!" He started running down the hall.

"Okay, but which way are you going?" Kakashi decided to entertain Naruto. "Do you even know where they are?" His questions made Naruto stop mid-step. Behind them, Boruto groaned and facepalmed, while Himawari giggled.

"If you don't mind my asking," Kakashi turned to Baki. "What have been the results so far of the attempts to peruse the Akatsuki?"

Baki turned to look at Kankurō. "First Kankurō went after them by himself, and you see what happened to him." Boruto and Himawari walked closer to them, all of them looking at the injured Suna shinobi. "Then, we dispatched a tracking unit in pursuit, but as of yet, we haven't heard back from them." He explained. "And there's another problem," Baki continued with the somewhat depressing report. "We believe that, well, it appears that Captain Yūra, one of our Council of Advisors, has gone missing. We don't even know if he's alive."

"So you're saying you've completely lost track of the Akatsuki," Kakashi summarized.

"Yes," Baki said in a gruff voice. "We have."

"Baki-dono!" One of the medics has called Baki from the room. "Kankurō had regained consciousness."

They all stepped into the room, making sure to keep a well-enough distance to give Kankurō the space he needed.

"Kankurō, are you alright?" Temari hovered over her brother, her face and voice filled with concern.

"Temari," Kankurō spoke with a hoarse voice, one that hasn't been used in a while. "You're back already."

"I heard the village was in trouble," Temari mentioned dismissively.

"I'm sorry," Kankurō whispered. "To be such a bother…"

"Shut up," Temari shushed him. "Don't be ridiculous."

Kakashi looked at Baki. "Can you lead me to where Kankurō's fight with the Akatsuki took place?" He asked the man. Baki glanced at him with a questioning look and Kakashi explained. "I'm known for having a pretty good nose for tracking. If even the slightest trace of their scent remains on the scene…"

"There's no need for that," Kankurō stopped Kakashi. He tried to get up, his arms barely holding his weight. "Where are my puppets? I assume that my puppets were recovered, right?"

Soon afterward, the puppet Kankurō had asked for was gently placed on the floor, almost all of it broken to pieces.

"One fought with me," Kankurō explained, wincing every few seconds with every move he made. "While the other carried Gaara away." He looked at Kakashi. "You might be able to follow Gaara's scent, but you can definitely track the one I fought. I made sure of it." He made some noises of discomfort as he moved to point at the hand of the broken puppet. "You see?" He pointed. "I've got his scent right here." The hand broke down, revealing a piece of dark cloth. "The last thing I did was make sure I got a scrap of his clothing."

Kakashi crouched down and picked up the cloth. "Even in defeat you went down fighting," Kakashi commented. "Just what I'd expect from a Suna shinobi."

Kankurō smirked, before grabbing his bandaged chest and groaning in pain. Temari sprung to his aid. "Kankurō, what is it?"

Kankurō looked away from her at Naruto and Boruto, who were standing side by side in front of his bed. "Am I seeing double…?" He asked in confusion. "Because I'm pretty sure there aren't two Naruto Uzumaki."

"No," Temari shook her head. "Only one. He came all the way from Konoha to help us."

"Hey there," Naruto smiled at Kankurō.

Kakashi made some quick hand seals and hit the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!" Out of the cloud of smoke appeared eight dogs with the Konoha headband tied to them. "At your service, eight Ninja Hounds."

"Hey, Pakkun!" Naruto greeted the small dog on top of the largest one. But his greeting was soon drowned away by an excited squeal from behind him. Himawari looked at all the dogs with sparkling eyes. Running past everyone, she knelt down next to the dogs and smiled, giving them her hand to smell. The largest dog sniffed her for a moment before pushing its head under her hand, urging her to pet him. Himawari giggled as she hugged his massive body, burying her head in its fur. Kakashi sent a look to Boruto, who just shrugged.

"Alright, alright, let's skip the reunion," Kakashi tried to ignore the girl currently making the hounds he trained for years into mindless pets who were addicted to belly rubs. "I need you guys to get on this right away." He waved the piece of cloth in his hand in front of the dogs. They all turned from Himawari and focused on sniffing the cloth closely. "Find out which way he went, okay?" Kakashi tasked them.

"Kakashi-sensei," Himawari interrupted him, looking up from the dogs surrounding her. "Can I go with them?"

"Hima?" Boruto sounded concerned.

"That depends," Kakashi said, getting up. "Do you have any tracking skills?"

"Yes, I do," Himawari said, her happy expression turning serious in a blink of an eye. Kakashi nodded. "Alright, you can go."

"Thank you!" Himawari smiled. She jumped to her feet and turned to her brother, giving him a swift hug. "See you later, Onii-chan!"

"Hold up, Hima-"

"It's going to be okay, Onii-chan!" Himawari reassured him, patting his arm.

"Be careful," Boruto cautioned her, pursing his lips worriedly.

"Go on then," Kakashi ordered them. The eight dogs and Himawari moved out, their footsteps fading quickly down the hall.

Pakkun stayed behind for a moment. "We'll let you know when we find something." He told Kakashi before moving out as well.

"They won't let us down," Naruto said, watching them leave.

"If they got Hima with them, they'll find the Akatsuki in no time," Boruto said confidently, though his gaze didn't leave the spot where Himawari stood a moment ago and his brow was furrowed.

"Okay!" Naruto stretched. "We move out as soon as Pakkun and his pack gets back. So I say we start getting ready!" He took a step towards the door, prompting Kakashi to grab him by the collar of his jacket.

"Not so fast, Naruto," Kakashi stopped him. But before he could say anything else, the elderly people who were there before entered the room.

"Kankurō," the elder woman said.

Kankurō looked at them in surprise. "Chiyo-sama? Ebizo-sama? You're here?"

"There's something we must know and only you can tell us," Chiyo looked at Kankurō with a grim expression. "Am I correct in thinking that one of your opponents, the one you fought, was Sasōri?"

Kankurō averted his gaze from them, looking down instead.

"Well, speak up, Kankurō," Ebizo urged him.

"Yes," Kankurō sighed. "Sasōri of the Red Sand. He told me so himself."

"Sasōri of the Red Sand, huh?" Kakashi repeated the vaguely familiar name. "I get the feeling you know something about these Akatsuki. Will you tell us?"

* * *

It was already nightfall when Sakura and Saradafinally rushed in with the antidote. Sakura immediately poured one for Kankurō and forced him to drink it. "That's right, drink it all."

Once he finished the cup, they waited to see what would happen to him next. He breathed in deeply before starting to cough violently, clearing his throat.

"There," Sakura sighed in relief. "You should be alright now. Just lay back and rest. And don't move around until the numbness passes."

Baki turned to Naruto. "All of you are going to need to rest as well after your journey," he said. "We've prepared rooms for you."

"But, but we've gotta go after Gaara!" Naruto protested.

"Thanks," Kakashi said. "We'll take you up on your offer."

Naruto turned to complain, but Kakashi gave him a hard look. "We may have to travel far and fast tomorrow," he told the blonde.

Naruto closed his mouth and looked down, knowing he can't argue with that. "Okay, you win."

"Naruto," Kankurō called him. Naruto turned to him. "Save my little brother, will you?"

"Don't worry, I will." Naruto smiled. "After all, I'm gonna be Hokage someday! And for now, the Kazekage can just owe me one."

* * *

Himawari and Pakkun ran through the forest the scent was leading them to, the moon already high in the sky.

Himawari jumped above the dog, who needed to be close to the ground. Her hair was whipping around her because of the wind, getting into her face once in a while. But she let it.

_The Akatsuki…_ she was pretty sure she had heard that name before. When she was young, her grandfather used to tell her stories about when her mother and father were young. He might have mentioned them a couple of times, too.

"We're close," Pakkun informed her. She nodded, activating her Byakugan. Now with a full 360-degree view, she could see everything in a few miles radius.

"There's a river up ahead!" She told the hound. A few moments later, they arrived at a cliff. She landed next to Pakkun, who sniffed the ground. "So," he said. "They're in there."

Himawari turned her gaze to the boulder he was looking at. It was large and completely blocked out the entrance to the cave behind it. When she tried to look beyond it, her vision became distorted and her eyes hurt, making her wince.

"If we get any closer we might be spotted," Pakkun cautioned.

"Let's go back then," Himawari deactivated her dōjutsu and felt the veins near her eyes to reside.

Pakkun nodded and turned back, running ahead of her. Himawari gave one last look to the ominous-looking boulder before heading after the hound.

Something about it just didn't feel right.

* * *

There was a knock on the guys' door, so Boruto went to answer it. Apparently, Sarada had something she wanted to talk to him about, so they both went out for a bit.

Naruto watched them speaking outside the building from the window in the room. "Do you think Boruto's worried about Himawari?" He asked Kakashi.

"It's the older sibling's job to worry about their younger siblings," Kakashi answered, not looking up from his book. "But Himawari is a kunoichi, so I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Yeah, I guess," Naruto nodded as he settled into his bed. He stared at the wall for a few moments before turning to Kakashi again. "When do you think they'll be back?"

"Pakkun and Himawari?" Kakashi placed down his book and crossed his arms in thought. "I don't know, hopefully, they'd be here by morning."

Naruto hummed in understanding and went back to staring at the wall, allowing Kakashi to return to his beloved book.

The door opened and Boruto stepped in, taking off his jacket as he walked and throwing it on his bed. He untied his headband and threw it on top of the jacket, rubbing his forehead.

"Hey, Boruto?" Naruto called the other blonde.

"Yeah?" Boruto dropped face-down on his bed, the mattress making a squeaking sound as the old springs took on the weight of the teen.

"Are you worried about Himawari?"

Boruto blinked at Naruto before smiling slightly, seeming tired. "I'm not really worried, to be honest. Hima's pretty strong, and she can take of herself." He turned on his back, placing his head on the pillow and looking at the ceiling before letting out a chuckle. "If I was worried about anything, its what will happen to the Akatsuki if they try to fight her."

"Is she really strong?" Naruto asked. He couldn't picture the girl being able to take on the Akatsuki when Kakashi himself couldn't.

"Oh yeah," Boruto chuckled again, placing his arms under his head. "Once, I accidentally ripped her stuffed bear in half, and she got so angry she tried to kill me."

"Wait, seriously?" Naruto straightened his back as he stared at Boruto incredulously.

"Uh-huh," Boruto laughed. "Dad tried to stop her, but she knocked him out with one strike."

Naruto winced. "Ouch," he said in sympathy for the man.

"I think his ego was more bruised, to be honest," Boruto commented with a fond smirk. "After all, Hima was only three years old at the time."

"She was three?!" Naruto nearly choked. "Amazing…"

"But, I guess…" Boruto said more quietly, his smirk subsiding. "I am a bit worried about her."

"How come?" Naruto tilted his head. "It sounds like she can take care of herself."

"Yeah, but she's still my little sister. And I guess I'll always be a little worried about her." Boruto turned on his side to look at Naruto.

"Alright, you two," Kakashi closed his book, cutting the conversation. "We have a long day tomorrow, so it's better if you got some sleep now while you can."

"Right," Naruto said, settling back into the bed.

"Night," Boruto mumbled, already deep under the covers. Kakashi turned off the light and settled in himself.

Naruto laid awake, thinking about what Boruto said. Even if Himawari could take care of herself, he was still worried about her.

But why?

* * *

_Everything around him was white, and he couldn't hear anything except the cries of a baby._

_A woman with black hair and a blurry face handed him the crying baby, saying something he didn't hear. He held the baby in his arms carefully, feeling like it was something that could be broken. Like glass._

_Once in his arms, the baby had stopped fussing, settling into his arms and relaxing. It was a baby girl, with a tuft of black hair, and… two whisker marks?_

_She was really cute, and she slept soundly in his arms. He felt his heart expand as he watched her breathe tiny breaths, the blankets she was wrapped in rising up and down. Adorable._

_He smiled, holding her closer. The movement made her open her eyes for a moment, looking at him with two clear blue eyes and giggling, the sound so cute he felt his heart explode. She then closed her eyes again, her head leaning against his chest. He felt his breath hitch, watching her sleep so soundly and looking safe. He wanted to always keep her that way. Safe and sound, protected from anything bad._

_And he knew that as long as he could, he will._

_His eyes teared up a little and he smiled, the baby in his arms felt like a little angel._

_Naruto's little princess._

* * *

Naruto woke up on the floor, having fallen off his bed face-first. "Ow, that hurt my head…" he rubbed his head sleepily.

"Oh, Naruto, you're up."

"Huh?" Naruto turned to see the talking pug sitting in Kakashi's bed. "Hey, Pakkun!"

"Alright," Kakashi nodded at the hound. "Better get moving."

"I'll see you around, Naruto," Pakkun jumped off the bed and out of the window.

Naruto managed to climb up back to his bed and look out the window just in time to see Pakkun join up with Himawari, who was waiting outside. Both of them turned away from the inn and headed out to the entrance of the village.

"He's leaving with Himawari again?" Naruto asked Kakashi.

"Yes," his sensei stretched. "Apparently they made quite the team last night, so she offered to go with him again."

"Wait a second!" Naruto looked back at Kakashi. "Does this mean we know where the Akatsuki is hiding out?"

"Yup," Kakashi tied his kunai holster to his leg. "Get ready, 'cause we're moving out."

Naruto nodded, his mood shifting to serious. "Wait," he looked around. "Where's Boruto?"

"He's already up," Kakashi explained. "He went to greet Himawari earlier.

* * *

"Seems we'll be working in conjunction with a team from Suna," Kakashi briefed them. "As soon as they're here, we'll head out."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Temari apologized. She and a group of four other Suna shinobi looked armed and ready to go.

"If that's everybody," Kakashi nodded.

"Ok-ay!" Naruto stretched. "There's no time to waste! Let's get this show on the road!"

"Wait!" Baki landed in front of them. "Temari, you and your group are to stay here and patrol the perimeter."

"Are you kidding me or what?" Temari looked incredulous.

"Orders. From above." Was Baki's answer. "If word gets out that the Kazekage is missing, our enemies might use this opportunity to launch an attack on the village."

Boruto watched the fight unfold between the Suna shinobi, but couldn't really pretend he cared. His thoughts were preoccupied with Himawari, and their conversation earlier.

* * *

_"I'll be fine, Onii-chan," she told him as they parted from the hug her engulfed her in a moment earlier in an attempt to assure himself of her safety._

_"I know that, but the Akatsuki are dangerous." Boruto didn't like the fact she needed to leave again so soon. She never even slept since they got to Suna._

_She smiled at him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it reassuringly. "It's just a small mission, I'll be back before you know it."_

* * *

He hoped she was right. Because if something were to happen to his sister…

"Boruto, are you okay?" Sarada whisper-asked him.

He looked at her and nodded. "I'm fine. Just want to get going already."

The sooner they rescue the Kazekage, the sooner he could go check on his sister.

Naruto and the group, now including one old lady, stood before the entrance to Suna.

"Alright," Kakashi said. "We'll head out on our own then."

"Thank you," Baki said. "I'll try to convince the Council to change its mind."

"Don't worry," Temari looked confident. "We'll catch up with you."

"Ha," Naruto broadened his shoulders. "By the time you can catch up with us, we'll already have rescued Gaara!'"

"We'll see you soon," Sakura told her.

They turned and started running to the desert, Boruto, Naruto, and Kakashi on one side, Sakura, Sarada, and Chiyo on the other.

They were going after the Kazekage.

* * *

**Author's note: **so you might not know this, but all the chapters of the arc so far have been written by me in a single week. I was bored. Sue me.

Now, if you feel like I'm not focusing on our time travelers enough, it is true. They still need to grow closer with the others to have a big impact on the story, but we're getting there. If you feel like Sarada hadn't been getting enough screen time (metaphorically) that's because I'm building up to something here. If you're a good Naruto veteran and remember this arc you're probably aware of what I'm talking about.

Also, Himawari going with Pakkun has a purpose. Everything I write the characters does have a purpose. I'm a purposeful person.

A few things to note: I don't plan on abandoning this story until it's completed, seeing as I already have a sort of idea on how it's going to end. It might take me a while to update it from time to time, but I plan on finishing it and giving it my all in the process. This was really supposed to be updated last week because I'm trying to update at least twice a month for now. Thank you for your patience.

Please don't forget to review! Any comment, question, or note you have is very much welcomed here.

Thank you for reading!

**Beta Reader:** AgretseBug, who thought she sent me the doc about a week ago when she actually didn't.


	20. Answers

**Disclaimer: I have been gone for a month, and I have no excuse really.**

* * *

**Arc 2:**

**Chapter 20: Answers**

* * *

Guy and Lee were running ahead, as usual, doing crazy maneuvers and barely slowing down, much to Neji and Tenten's dismay.

"Hey!" Tenten yelled at them. "Slow down a little! We've been going at full speed since we started. Would it kill us to take a little rest?"

Secretly, Neji agreed with her. Those two spandex-wearing buffoons he called teammates were not human in his opinion. They were beasts.

"Tenten," Lee laughed. "You are really not training hard enough."

"Lee!" Neji sensed something. "Up ahead!"

They all stopped and landed on a branch, waiting to see who'd be coming out of the other side. A rustle in the leaves indicated the person was close.

Suddenly, two figures landed in front of them. A dog wearing the Konoha headband and… "Himawari?" He stared at his niece as she stood there in full mission gear.

"Hey Guy, wait," the ninja hound called Neji's former sensei.

"Pakkun!" Guy called in surprise.

Himawari scanned their faces until her eyes landed on Neji and her face brightened. "Neji-niisan!" She called happily and jumped from her branch to his, enveloping him in a hug. Neji could feel the shocked looks he was receiving from his teammates but tried to ignore them. "Hello, Himawari," he gently patted her back. "I didn't expect to see you here."

She pulled away a bit and grinned, showing him the headband tied loosely around her neck proudly. "Look, look!" She said excitedly. "I'm a shinobi like you now!"

"So it appears," Neji nodded with a small smile. "Is Boruto here too?"

She shook her head. "Onii-chan went with Sarada and the others to find the Kazekage."

"You know this girl, Neji?" Tenten asked him, examining Himawari closely. Neji sighed and nodded. He knew his teammates, and they were no doubt going to bombard him with questions.

"Yes, this is Himawari," he introduced her to the others. "Himawari, these are my teammates; Lee," he gestured to the thick-browed teen, "Tenten," the weapons expert nodded, "and Guy-sensei." Himawari smiled at them, bowing her head slightly. "It's nice to meet you," she said, though Neji knew it wasn't her first time meeting any of them, after all, she came from the future.

His teammates' gazes went back and forth between Neji and Himawari, clearly surprised by the familiarity between them.

"And…?" Tenten raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Mind telling us how the two of you know each other?" Her tone suggested she was already formulating some theories on the matter, none of them something Neji would like to hear of, knowing her. He feared those theories of hers were going in the completely wrong direction.

"Not particularly," He dismissed her, faking ignorance and hoping she'd drop it for now. "Nevermind this," he turned to Himawari. "You said Team Kakashi had gone after the Kazekage?"

Himawari nodded. "Me and Pakkun were on our way to find you all and tell you to go there instead."

"Go where?" Guy asked Pakkun.

"Right," Pakkun cleared his throat. "Kakashi sent eight of us ninja hounds and Himawariout to scour the countryside and try to pick up the Akatsuki Organization's scent," he explained. "Well, we soon discovered they were headed for the Land of Rivers, bordering Konoha and Suna."

"Land of Rivers?" Neji asked in confusion.

"That's right," Pakkun nodded. "And since your team is on it's way from Konoha to Suna, I guess this is your lucky day. You're the closest, if you can call it lucky."

"Alright then," they all were ready to move.

"We'll show you the way," Himawari smiled at them and jumped to Pakkun's branch. "Follow us."

"Right!" Guy said enthusiastically. "You heard her everybody, let's move out!"

"What?" Tenten asked, tired. "Already?"

Even though she said that she moved after Himawari and the dog like the rest of them, jumping through the trees at almost twice the speed as before.

None of them noticed the figure hiding in the tree behind them, a man trapped within a plant, who watched and heard everything.

* * *

Naruto lead the others through the forest as they jumped from branches on their way to their destination. "Naruto," Sakura moved to jump next to Naruto. "Can I ask you a question?"

Naruto stared at her, waiting for her to ask.

"How long do you think the Akatsuki have been after you?" She asked, surprising him.

"I don't know," he said, not wanting to talk about it.

"Two members of the Akatsuki came to Konoha, looking for Naruto once," Kakashi recalled. "But it's been three years since then, and no sign of them. And now they're back."

"But why do you think they waited so long to make another move?" Sakura inquired.

"It could be they wanted to act before this, but for some reason they couldn't," Kakashi offered a reason. "Maybe because Jiraiya-sama was around and they didn't want to face him."

"That's not it," Chiyo said from behind them, jumping together with Boruto and Sarada who hadn't spoken since they started moving. "From what I've learned, there was an entirely different reason they had to wait this long."

"What reason?" Naruto tensed.

"If you're going to try and draw out the Bijū that dwells within, a great deal of preparation is involved. They just needed some more time." Was Chiyo's gloomy answer.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked her. "What Bijū?"

"My, my. You're a student of that old Slug Queen Tsunade and you don't even know that?" Chiyo sounded bemused. "When Konoha itself is host to the Kyūbi?"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly and he tensed. Next to him, he could feel Sakura do the same.

"The Kyūbi is not something we talk about," Kakashi answered in Sakura's stead. "It's considered top secret."

"Really?" The single word packed a thousand eye rolls within it. "Well not surprising, I guess." She then went on to explain. "The Bijū are demon spirits with one or more tails. Suna has had a single Bijū since long ago. That's the Shukaku, sealed within Gaara."

"So then," Sakura gulped. "There's more… of these demon spirits?"

"There are nine Bijū in total," surprisingly, it was Boruto who had answered. "Each one of them has a different number of tails."

They all turned to look at him in surprise, but he just had an unreadable expression on his face.

Chiyo nodded and continued. "The Bijū are huge concentrations of chakra, and during the great war every nation competed for control of them for military purposes."

"They fought non-stop over them, but the Bijū were too strong," Boruto completed the tale. "No one could control them."

Everybody again looked at him, and Naruto frowned. Isn't Boruto new in their village?

"How do you know that?" Chiyo asked him, suspicious.

"My dad," he explained without looking up. "He knew a lot about the Jinchūriki."

_Jinchūriki?_ Naruto wondered what that meant.

* * *

Neji and Himawari ran in the back of the group as they crossed the mountain on their way to the location of the Akatsuki hideout.

Neji noticed that Himawari yawned every couple of minutes. "Are you tired?" He asked her worryingly.

"A bit," she shook her head. "I was out all night looking for the hideout."

"You should've stayed in Suna," Neji scolded her. "You're in no shape to be taking on an enemy."

"It's okay, Neji-niisan," Himawari assured him. "I'm fine."

"What is it, Pakkun?" Guy asked the hound up ahead of them.

"Someone's coming!" The pug warned them.

Neji and Himawari nodded at each other. "Byakūgan!" He yelled, activating his dōjutsu.

"Neji-niisan!" Himawari called warningly.

"Yes," Neji turned around. "It's behind us!"

They all glanced backward, looking for the danger. For a moment, nothing happened, and then…

_Boom!_

The ground ten meters away from them broke in half, a large white thing making its way to them at an alarming speed and splitting the ground while doing so. Neji stepped in front of Himawari and spread his arms protectively before her. The thing hit the rock they stood before, exploding it just as they all scattered, jumping a safe distance away.

The large pieces of debris and the dust cloud rising from the explosion scattered quickly, revealing a man with blue skin wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it and holding a sword almost bigger than himself.

"Huh?" Guy looked closely at the man. "Wait a minute…"

Lee looked at the cloaked person in confusion. "You know this person, Guy-sensei?"

"Who are you?" Gai asked the person, lowering the tension filling the air to zero percent.

_This is going to be a long fight,_ Neji got into position.

* * *

Sarada landed on the ground simultaneously with the others and they started running, being so close to the hideout.

"Everybody, stop!" Kakashi suddenly yelled, sounding panicked. Everybody came to a halt, standing behind him. Sarada looked over him to the person who stood in their path and gasped. _It can't be…_

"Who's that?" Sakura asked, body tensed. Sarada was trembling. Not from fear, but anger. She knew what was going to happen, yet wished with every fiber of her being that she could have avoided it.

Next to her, Naruto growled. "I know you…"

* * *

Neji felt Himawari silently activate her Byakūgan behind him, also moving into a combat position. He just hoped that if his teammates caught sight of that, he could explain it in a way that made sense to them without revealing the truth.

He scanned the man in front of them. "Unreal," he felt shocked. "His chakra level is off the charts!"

Himawari leaned forward. "I've never seen anyone but Papa with this much chakra," she whispered to him and he nodded.

"Your memory is about as bad as your haircut," the man with the blue skin told Guy.

"Hm?" Guy's eyes widened. "Can it be that you're-"

"You finally remembered, have you?" The man smirked.

"You've met me somewhere before?" Guy asked him, continuing to break the tension.

"It's no wonder you're called a beast," the man leaned forward. "Your intelligence is certainly sub-human." His smirk got wider. "Well, don't worry. I'll refresh your memory soon enough."

* * *

"Itachi... Uchiha," Naruto growled, and Sarada tensed. _This can't be happening right now, _she thought miserably.

On her other side, Sakura gasped.

"So, that's the one," Chiyo stepped forward. "The child who wiped out his entire clan."

The world had stopped for Sarada. _Wiped...out?_

Her eyes flew to Itachi's who had been looking at them with an almost bored expression.

* * *

_"Are we really going to be enemies?"_

_"Only when we're in front of my partner or the shinobi of the village."_

* * *

"Kakashi-san, Naruto-kun," Itachi spoke. "It's been a while."

The coldness of his voice gave Sarada shivers. This man couldn't be her uncle. The person she met was kind and quiet, calm, and pleasant. Not this person, who radiated danger.

"I wasn't enough for you, huh?" Naruto stepped forward. "You had to go after Gaara as well!"

_No, stop it,_ Sarada didn't want to hear all of this. _Stop talking._

Next to her, Boruto noticed her trembling. "Sarada?"

All of her clan, the reason she felt so alone all those years with the surname she didn't understand. He was responsible for that. But why? Why did he do that? Why did he kill their family?

Naruto pointed at Itachi. "I'll destroy every last one of you!"

Itachi didn't respond, instead, he raised his hand slowly. Kakashi gasped. "Everyone, whatever you do, don't look him in the eyes!

"Itachi's genjutsu is a visual jutsu," the jōnin explained hurriedly. "Which means, avoid eye contact with him and his jutsu can't take effect."

"Yeah, that I know," Naruto told him.

But Sarada, on the other hand, stared right back at Itachi, glaring. _Try me if you want._

"Okay," Sakura said. "But then, how are we supposed to fight him?"

"That's the tricky part," Kakashi said, making Sarada huff, unimpressed. She had sparred with her father more than once with their Sharingan blazing. He didn't go easy on her at all. "You have to anticipate his moves, by watching his feet. His body."

"But that's like fighting with one arm tied behind your back," Sakura said through gritted teeth.

_I know_, Sarada felt the urge to say. _It's frustrating, but you get used to it._

"The Uchiha Clan, eh?" Chiyo spoke. "It's been a long time since I've gone up against the Sharingan."

They all looked at her. "Don't look so surprised. I've been around. And I know there's more than one way to fight a visual jutsu like that."

"Yeah?" Naruto asked. "Like what then?"

"If one against one, abandon the field, if two against one, take the rear and he'll yield." Chiyo recited.

"What's that mean?"

"The first part of it is pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?" Chiyo sounded like she wanted to roll her eyes. "The Sharingan can never be beaten in single combat. But, if you outnumber the Sharingan user, if there's two against one, even if one of you is caught in his genjutsu, the other is free to strike from the rear and get the genjutsu dispelled." Sarada glanced at Itachi, a plan starting to form in her mind. "Even if your attack from the rear should fail somehow, you'll still be able to strike your comrade yourself, and break the genjutsu that way." Chiyo prepared her stance. "So while one of us fights him face to face as a distraction, the rest of us will mount a series of attacks from the rear, where his Sharingan can't reach."

"Good plan," Sakura nodded.

"I guess you learn a lot of stuff if you leave long enough," Naruto smiled before turning serious again. "Let's go, I'll take the rear-"

"Wait," Sarada spoke up. "I have a better plan," she said, causing them all to look at her. "I'll fight him, while the rest of you go on to save the Kazekage."

"I'm afraid I can't let you take him on by yourself, Sarada," Kakashi told her. "He's too dangerous."

"She won't be alone," Boruto dropped his back to the ground. "I'll help her out."

"No way," Naruto looked at both of them angrily. "This is my fight. I'm gonna beat that bastard to the ground."

"You need to go save the Kazekage," Sarada told him, her eyes not leaving Itachi for a second. "Boruto and I will be fine. We'll buy you time."

"Naruto's right," Sakura intervened. "We have to stop him right now."

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san, but this is not up to debate," Sarada looked at Boruto. "Are you sure you want to stay here?"

"You're my teammate," Boruto loosened his shoulders. "If you want to fight an Akatsuki member who's an S-rank criminal, I'll help you out."

Kakashi's eyes darted between them and Itachi. "I'm still not convinced I can leave you two to take care of him easily." He told them. "Itachi uses an advanced version of the Sharingan called Mangekyō Sharingan. It's far more powerful than any other visual jutsu. It only takes a second, but if he hits you with that jutsu, it'll be the longest second you've ever lived. Time itself gets warped, what seems like a second in the real world can be hours or days to some trapped in his jutsu. I once wandered around it for three days." His eye moved to Itachi. "It's not a genjutsu that can be broken just like that."

"Very good, Kakashi-san," Itachi sounded impressed. "I see your time in my Tsukuyomi wasn't wasted."

"Oh, believe me, I learned something else as well," Kakashi spoke back to him. "There's a price to pay for that Sharingan. It exhausted you, didn't it? You had to quit before the battle was over."

_What is he talking about?_ Sarada didn't understand.

"So in addition to losing a lot of chakra, you risk permanent damage to your eyes every time you use that jutsu. Don't you, Itachi?"

_Permanent damage?_ Sarada looked at Itachi's eyes. _Papa never suffered from that. So why…?_

Now with even more questions, Sarada knew she had to get the rest of them far from here.

"Kakashi-sensei, please," she tried to convey her urgency through her voice. "We can handle this. Just leave him to us."

"I understand you believe so, Sarada, but the Mangekyō Sharingan is not to be taken lightly."

"I know all about the Mangekyō," Sarada pulled the ends of her headband and tightened it. "It's not the first time I took it on," She knew she shouldn't be telling him that, but it was the quickest way to make him understand. She took out the pair of black arm warmers she packed and wore them. "We're taking him on. And we'll beat him."

"You've dealt with the Sharingan before?" Kakashi asked her, his voice suspicious. "I've never seen you before this mission, so how did you manage to encounter it?"

"I can explain it all later, but right now you need to focus on the Kazekage!" Sarada tried to urge them. She needs them away to speak with Itachi. "We'll be fine here. Just go!"

"Are you absolutely certain you can handle this?" Kakashi stared at her with his only visible eye. She straightened her back and nodded. "Yes, sir!"

"Kakashi-sensei, you can't be serious!" Sakura protested. "This is the person who tormented Sasuke-kun! We have to stop him!"

"I know how you feel, Sakura, but Sarada and Boruto are right," Kakashi sounded reluctant but nodded at the two. "Rescuing the Kazekage is our first priority. The mission comes first."

"But-" Naruto opened his mouth to argue but was stopped by Boruto. "Naruto," he called the blonde. "When you get there, please make sure Himawari is safe."

Naruto stared at him for a moment, before moving to look at Itachi. Sarada could almost hear the war going on in the Uzumaki's mind. "Fine," Naruto hissed through gritted teeth.

"Good," Kakashi turned to Sarada. "We leave him to you."

"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei," Sarada clenched her fists. "I won't let him get away so easily."

"Let's go, you two," Kakashi ordered Naruto and Sakura. "The hideout isn't too far from here."

Naruto and Sakura gave one last death glare in Itachi's direction before nodding. "Won't he follow us?" Chiyo asked.

"You don't have to worry about that, Chiyo-sama," Sarada smirked. "I have a feeling he's going to be a bit too preoccupied to stop you."

She turned to Itachi, all the anger and confusion in her turning into something else. A feeling that could only be resolved by punching something. "Ready, Boruto?"

"You bet!"

Sarada walked towards Itachi, her fist at ready. Now knowing only her back was visible to her teammates, she allowed her eyes to turn red, activating her Sharingan. "Go, all of you!" She yelled at them.

"I'll make sure Himawari will be fine," Naruto promised Boruto before jumping away, the others following. "Be careful," Kakashi warned them both, leaving the clearing.

"Itachi-niisan," she called him once she was sure they were alone and ran to him, her fist ready. "You and I need to talk."

It's time she got some answers.

* * *

"So, he's an Akatsuki," Neji understood, his need to protect Himawari growing bigger.

The man with the sword laughed and threw his weapon in the air. "Water Style: Exploding Water Shock Wave!"

"Get ready!" Guy yelled to his team.

The Akatsuki bent down and a wave of water came pouring out of his mouth, endless. So much water came it was like he released an entire lake at them, leaving only the two small boulders they stood on above surface.

The man laughed sadistically. "Ready or not, here I come!"

He glided down the water as if they were nothing more than a small hill of sand, coming down on them from above on the wave. They all jumped up before the water could wash them away, landing on the boulders again once the wave was over, leaving the land so flooded with water they couldn't see the ground.

Behind them, another wave raised, this one taller than the last. It washed over Tenten and Guy, who jumped again.

"You guys!" Tenten called from above. "Look out!"

"Remember me now?" The man asked Guy, washing him over and over with tall waves.

"Where in the world is all this water coming from?" Tenten asked in shock.

"This technique of his requires a huge amount of chakra," Neji watched the chakra the Akatsuki man wasted barely make any lasting effect on his chakra reserves. "An incredible amount!"

The man disappeared underwater, leaving them to stay on guard.

Lee leaned forward and looked around. "Where do you think he is?"

Another wave broke the surface, about to wash over them. "Guy-sensei, Tenten!" Lee yelled to them, as they were the closest.

Neji and Himawari jumped high, barely two meters above the wave. The Akatsuki member stood on the wave, making his way to the nonchalantly on the water current. He prepared his sword and swang it at Guy, who evaded mid-air and aimed a kick right into the man's face, sending him flying backwards. Unfortunately, the man only splashed and disappeared, revealing to be a water clone. The real one appeared behind Guy, who turned barely in time to avoid another swing of the sword.

"Guy-sensei!" Lee called out worryingly.

Guy appeared behind the man, distracting him. "Lee!"

"Leaf Rising Wind!" Lee appeared under the man's sword and kicked upwards, causing the sword to fly out of the man's hand.

"What?!" The blue-skinned Akatsuki stared in shock at his flying sword.

Underneath them, the water calmed enough so Neji and Himawari landed on the surface, sending chakra to their feet to stand on the water.

"Himawari!" Neji called.

"Right!"

They both took their stand. "Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!" They yelled, sending a gust of wind so powerful it sent the man backwards. However, the sword had miraculously landed back in the man's hand as a result, and he used it to stop his movement. But he didn't notice that Tenten had also tied a sharp metal ball with an explosive tag on it to the sword, exploding just as it got to him.

The smoke dispersed, revealing the man had gotten away.

"Where's he hiding this time?" Guy looked out to the seemingly calm water.

"Neji, any sign of him?" Tenten asked.

"In front of us, and coming closer." Neji didn't move his eyes from the moving target.

"I have found him!" Lee declared.

The man slowly resurfaced, barely any of him above water. "I'll grant you brats this much, you're more trouble than I thought you'd be." He told them. "In fact, you're incredibly annoying."

"Wait a minute, the water jutsu and the mass of swords…" Guy spoke like he finally recognized the man. "Are you…?"

"Don't tell me your memory is finally stirring in that tiny little brain of yours?" The man asked him.

"I feel certain we've met before…" Guy mumbled.

Tenten groaned. "Ugh, I think this guy would be pretty memorable."

"Listen to that, even your own followers are beginning to wonder if you can remember anything." The man smirked and lifted his sword. "Well, let's see what we can do. Enough pain and maybe then you'll remember."

* * *

"Sarada," Itachi looked at his niece as he evaded her attack. "You know we cannot speak right now."

"I don't care," Sarada swung her chakra-enhanced fist at him, anger in her eyes. "Is it true? Did you kill our clan?"

Itachi evaded her again, his eyes moving to the young man behind her. He stayed fairly hidden in the shadows of the trees, but Itachi could tell if he made any sudden movements, the teen would attack.

"Don't worry about him," Sarada noticed where his eyes were, aiming a kick at him. "Boruto's with me."

Itachi's eyes flicked to her, catching her foot and pushing her away, making her lose her balance. "Is he a time traveler as well?"

"Yes, that's right," Sarada nodded, throwing another fist at him, her eyes the color of the Sharingan. "But this is not important right now! Itachi-niisan," the honorific she used made him blink in surprise once again. "Did you kill our clan?"

Itachi closed his eyes, sighing. "Yes, I did."

"Why?" Sarada's voice trembled, she stood still her body shaking. "Why would you do that?"

"It is complicated, and the answer might leave you wishing you never knew," Itachi wanted to apologize. She looked so hurt, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Then she looked up at him with anger and engaged in a barrage of fists and punches she threw at him, all of which he either evaded or blocked. She then jumped in the air, aiming a kick at his head. He caught her leg again and swung her away, only for her to hit the ground and dispel, the real her appearing behind him and pressing a kunai to his throat.

"Even so, I deserve to know!" She yelled, and he used that to throw her from her arm over his shoulder to the ground. She got up, her exposed shoulders dirty and bruised, though she didn't seem to care. "I'm an Uchiha, just like you and Papa. I deserve to know what happened to my family. Don't keep me in the dark!"

She ran to him again, her fist ready. He knew that so far she had been going easy on him, not using any lethal force. But this time she was mad. "SHANNARŌ!" she yelled, hitting the ground where he stood a second ago and splitting it in half, the crack going all the way back to where her friend stood.

"Are you sure you want to hear?" Itachi asked her, landing a few feet away from the destruction and wishing she'd say no. He wanted to protect her from that knowledge at any cost.

"I do!" she looked at him with such a serious expression, it reminded Itachi of the last time he saw Sasuke. She pushed her glasses up her nose, her cheeks stained with tears of frustration and eyes blazing red. "I want to know what happened to my family!"

"Very well," Itachi closed his eyes and opened them. "I'll show you." She understood what he was about to do and released her fist, staring him in the eye.

"Tsukuyomi."

Sarada's shoulders went limp, and she stopped moving, her gaze empty.

"Sarada!" The teen in the shadows moved to them, revealing to look almost exactly like Naruto Uzumaki. He reached Sarada and checked on her. "What did you do to her?" He asked Itachi hostilely.

"I put her under a genjutsu to show her why I had to kill the Uchiha Clan," Itachi explained, not missing the protective tone in Boruto's voice. "Are you Naruto Uzumaki's son?"

Boruto blinked, but nodded, still suspicious of him. "Yeah, I am," he said. "So you're Sasuke-san's brother."

"You know Sasuke?" Itachi asked him, interested.

"Of course I do, he was my master." Boruto sounded proud. "He was the best shinobi I have ever met."

"I see," Itachi nodded a bit. "That's good to know."

"He mentioned you a couple of times, now that I think about it," Boruto placed his hand on Sarada's shoulder pulling her closer to him. "Always talked about you being a hero."

"It wasn't how it was supposed to be," Itachi revealed sadly. "He was supposed to be the hero. Not me."

"Sasuke-san is a hero, if it makes you feel any better," Boruto told him. "He saved our village… well, more times than I can count, and that's just from when I was born."

"Really?" Itachi's eyes widened slightly. "Sarada didn't mention that."

"Yeah, well, because Sarada thinks my dad is better," Boruto rolled his eye. "Don't know how she got to that. The old man was useless most of the time."

"She preferred Naruto?" Itachi frowned a bit. "Why?"

"Because she wanted to be the Hokage," Boruto smiled at the still-under genjutsu form of his teammate. "And my old man was the best Hokage the village had ever seen. At least, in the people's eyes." He added quickly.

Itachi detected a bit of bitterness behind that last comment. "And you don't see him like that?"

"I won't deny he was strong, and cared a lot about the village," Boruto shrugged. "But that also meant he neglected his family a lot since he was busy all the time. I already forgave him for that, but it's not like it doesn't sting, -ttebasa."

"I see," Itachi understood now. So Naruto Uzumaki had become Hokage, and Sasuke had become a splendid shinobi who fought for Konoha. He was glad to know Konoha was left in their trusted hands.

Sarada stirred in Boruto's arms, her eyes fluttering. "Sarada, are you okay?" Boruto asked her worryingly.

"No," she said, standing up shakingly. She looked at Itachi, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm not okay."

"Sarada-" Itachi began.

"You had to endure all of that, to carry all of that pain, by yourself?" Sarada's tears were again flowing freely down her cheeks, but this time not because of frustration. Itachi closed his mouth, surprised. He didn't expect her to see it from that point of view. "Are you not mad at me?" He asked her, confused. "Do you not hate me now that you know the truth?"

Sarada shook her head, taking a wobbly step closer to him. Boruto flinched like he had to stop himself from running to her. She took another step, and then another until she finally stood barely half a meter from him. "I don't hate you, Itachi-niisan," she whispered. "And I know that Papa wouldn't hate you if he knew the truth."

"It's not as simple as you make it out to be," Itachi tried to explain. "I told Sasuke-"

"I saw," Sarada cut him off. "And I know Papa. He'll never hate his older brother."

The next thing Itachi knew was that she was hugging him, burying her face in his cloak. He blinked, surprised. Boruto looked amused at his struggle and gestured for him to hug Sarada back. Itachi did so, patting her back awkwardly.

He didn't know that being forgiven would feel so nice, after all, he had resigned himself for the dark path a long time ago. And yet, with a few words from this girl, everything became better.

"Sarada, as much as I hate to interrupt this, we need to get going soon," Boruto said, looking at the sky. "I don't want the others to worry and go back to check on us."

"You're right," Sarada slowly detached herself from Itachi, wiping her tears. "We should get moving." She sent a worried glance at Itachi.

"Before that though, you need to punch me," Boruto told Sarada. "And throw me around a couple of times, if you can."

Sarada blinked at him. "Huh?"

"You look like you at least tried to fight someone. I don't. We need to make it look like we actually fought Itachi-san."

"Oh," Sarada nodded. "That makes sense."

She prepared her fist and looked at him. "Ready?"

He nodded. "Do it."

She punched him in the gut, sending him flying a couple of feet away and into a tree. Jumping to him, she grabbed him by the shirt and flung him into the ground, dirtying his clothes with the dust rising for the hit.

"Good enough?" She asked him, concerned.

"Yup," Boruto groaned in pain and pushed himself up. "This is great."

"Sorry," Sarada offered him a hand.

"Thanks," he grabbed her hand and pulled himself up, dusting his clothes. "Good job."

Sarada turned to Itachi, who watched the two in wonder. It seemed like Boruto had such a trust in Sarada he managed to fight off the primal instinct of protecting himself and allowed her to attack him. _Interesting,_ he thought.

"We need to go," Sarada told Itachi, looking a little sad.

He nodded, giving her a small, encouraging smile. "Go, and be careful."

"I will," Sarada smiled at him, looking confident and strong. Like an Uchiha. "I'll see you soon, Itachi-niisan."

"Goodbye, Sarada." Itachi poked her headband, and she smiled happily. Boruto handed her her bag, and they both got ready to move. Boruto nodded at Itachi, looking ready to storm into battle. For the first time, Itachi wondered how that boy got his scar.

They both moved out, jumping away into the forest, after their comrades.

_Thank you, Sarada._ Itachi looked at his niece's moving figure._ I'm sure Sasuke is very proud of you._

He then made a hand sign, dispelling himself and returning his memories to his original self.

* * *

Neji stood ready, Himawari next to him. Luckily, her long hair was enough to hide the Byakugan from anyone who wasn't looking at her directly.

"Alright, time to launch a counterattack," Guy declared. "Let me go against him first. As soon as his guard is down, you move in."

"Yes, sir."

"Got it!"

"Yes, Sensei!"

"Right!"

"Are you fool enough to think you can get me to lower my guard that easily?" The Akatsuki man's permanent smirk grew even wider. "I won't try to talk you out of it, I'll let you learn the hard way." He ran towards Guy the same moment Guy jumped to him. Neji used that to appear in front of him. "Gentle Fist!" He struck, but the Akatsuki blocked him with his sword.

Lee came from above with his weapons, but the Akatsuki just moved his sword up and broke them, sending Lee away. The man cackled, not noticing Himawari sneaking behind him. "HA!" She struck his back with her palm, but before she could hit him he swung his sword backwards and hit her, sending her flying a couple of meters away.

"Himawari!" Neji called out in concern. Luckily, she landed on her feet quickly, looking more angry than hurt.

"He has a point," Lee said. "He swings that huge sword with such ease, that getting through his guard is impossible."

"If close-ranged combat won't work…" Tenten opened her scroll with a pull, releasing kunai with explosive tags attached to them at the Akatsuki member.

He just raised his sword calmly, letting the explosives detonated. The cloud of black smoke appeared around them, dispersing to reveal that he had not moved an inch away.

"Of course!" Guy called out. "That sword of his…"

"Ah, do you remember at last?" The man turned to him.

"That weapon, it's yours, isn't it?" Guy pointed at the sword.

"Who else's would it be?" Neji asked.

"Ah, but there's a difference between knowing, and being absolutely certain," Guy answered.

"Wise words, Guy-sensei," Lee praised him. "So simple yet so full of profound meaning."

"I said you had the intelligence of a sub-human beast, but a beast could run circles around your brain." The man with the sword seemed bored.

"Let's go!" Guy jumped in the air. "Dynamic Action!"

They started to spar, Guy, attacking with his taijutsu, and the Akatsuki member blocking it with his sword and water jutsu. Himawari crept around the fight on her way back to Neji, but he signaled her to stop. He couldn't risk the man seeing her and attacking.

Suddenly, Guy had the sword in his legs. "Attack!"

Neji, Tenten, and Lee jumped on the Akatsuki member. He did a hand seal. "Water Clone Jutsu!" He yelled, creating three more of himself made out of water.

"Watch out!" Neji called to his comrades. The clones grabbed them all, and before they could move the original did a quick series of hand seal. "Water Prison Jutsu!" He yelled, engulfing them all in water bubbles.

"Leave them alone, you swine!" Guy yelled at him, running on the water with the man's sword in his hand, and swinging it at him. The sword suddenly fell from his hands, revealing to have spikes in the handle that stabbed him.

The water bubbles that engulfed them filled with water, preventing them from breathing.

"Neji-niisan!" Himawari's distressed cry echoed throughout the plains as she moved closer to him. He tried to tell her to stay back, but couldn't talk due to the water filling his lungs.

"Lee! Neji! Tenten!" Guy yelled.

Suddenly, a large spike in killing intent drew Neji's attention to the sidelines, where Himawari stood.

She looked at Neji with tears forming in the corners of her eyes, but had a blank expression. The killing intent was so intense it made him want to move back on instinct. Veins popped on both sides of her face, her eyes going clear white. The Byakugan, powered by sheer anger.

She turned to look at the Akatsuki member, who was watching her too, curious. She struck a pose Neji recognized very well.

Her mouth moved, but he couldn't hear what she had said. He didn't need to though, because he already knew.

"Lock On."

* * *

**Author's note: **I'm kinda scared of Himawari. Don't judge. This chapter was a delight to write.

**JUST A HEADS UP, IN THE SUMMARY I HAVE CHANGED THE 18 YEARS TO 21 BECAUSE I ONLY REALIZED MY MATH WAS WRONG AFTER ARC 2 STARTED. NOTHING ELSE HAS CHANGED, JUST ME BEING DUMB.**

Now then, about Itachi; hear me out.

To those of you confused seeing as in the original version, it wasn't really Itachi. But they only found that out because they fought him, which didn't happen here so… I had to come up with another way for him to be there and not be there. I know it could have probably be written better, but I am still learning. I'm still a writing noob, as the kids say(cringes) sorry.

About Sarada and the genjutsu thing:

First off, I don't know how to write fighting scenes. I'm working on it. I tried to describe it like Sarada wasn't really trying to hurt Itachi, but more like she was just looking for an outlet for her emotions, which were all over the place.

The thing about the genjutsu is, I try to minimize when writing things you either already know or have read so many times in other fanfics it's already boring. That's why instead of showing Sarada seeing what made Itachi kill his clan (I hate Danzō), I gave you a BoruSara moment plus Boruto and Itachi talking, which is so much better in my opinion. (Burn Danzō to the ground please :) )

The Himawari thing had been planned from the start of the arc. Remember when she went looking for the Akatsuki hideout with Pakkun? That was when I decided that. I love how she blacks out, kicks ass, and then go back to normal and being confused. So sue me. (but don't really cuz I have no money).

Thank you for reading!

**Beta Reader: **AgresteBug, Supporting me for 20 chapters.


	21. The Niece's Rage

**Disclaimer: I honestly don't know guys**

* * *

**Arc 2:**

**Chapter 21: The Niece's Rage**

* * *

_Neji and Boruto sat together in Boruto's apartment, waiting for Himawari to finish getting ready for training._

_"So, how's training going with Himawari?" Boruto asked Neji._

_"It's going well," unlike Boruto, who leaned forward in his chair, Neji's posture was always straight. "She's progressing quickly."_

_"Whatever you do, just try not to piss her off," Boruto warned him, his eye glancing in the direction of Himawari's bedroom._

_"What do you mean?" Boruto shivered, his shoulders tensing._

_"When Hima gets really angry, she blacks out and becomes super strong. The first time it happened, she knocked Dad out for an entire day." Boruto explained._

_"I still don't see the problem." Neji frowned. Himawari was his sweet little niece. If Naruto annoyed her enough to get knocked out, he probably deserved it._

_"She was three."_

_"Himawari had awakened the Byakugan when she was three?" That had rarely happened in the Hyūga Clan._

_"Yup. So just make sure you won't anger her and she decides it's 'bye-bye Neji-niisan'," Boruto shuddered._

_From that moment on, Neji promised himself he'd never anger Himawari._

* * *

"Locked on."

_Damnit!_ Neji watched helplessly. He couldn't move. Couldn't help his niece.

Himawari leaped onto the Akatsuki member, at a speed Neji had never seen her use. She struck with her palm, and the man blocked her with his sword, but it didn't help. The force she put into her palm still pushed him back several feet.

Himawari didn't stop there. She moved her arm back before pushing forward again, releasing an air palm. The gust of wind strong enough to make waves in the water. It was almost like she was a completely different person.

She disappeared and reappeared behind the man, kicking at his head. He swung his sword at her, pushing her up into the air. She flew up, but then changed her trajectory and started heading down, head first. She pushed her hand again, creating another gust. However, the man cut through that with his blade, swatting Himawari to the side. She landed on her side but got up, not even noticing the bruises quickly forming on her cheek or the slight tear in her hoodie.

Neji could barely hold his breath, and yet he willed himself to hold on. He should be out there with Himawari. And when he got out, he'd bring down hell on the Akatsuki member with the blue skin for bruising his niece.

* * *

Boruto blinked, faltering in his step and almost missing the branch.

Sarada glanced at him. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know," Boruto sped up. "I just have a bad feeling."

* * *

Guy watched the young girl attack the Akatsuki member head-on and actually doing some damage. As a taijutsu user himself, he was rather impressed.

She had the Byakugan, that he was certain of now. But how she got it or why didn't matter. He needed to rescue his team, and if her having those eyes could help, so be it.

After being thrown to the side, she quickly recovered and moved to stand next to him. At least she recognized him as an ally because he wasn't sure how much else she recognized. It seems almost like she blacked out, seeing nothing but the target in front of her.

"This is the mighty blade known as Samehada," the Akatsuki man held his blade for Gai to see. "And it only allows me to use it."

Guy remembered the spikes that pierced his hands earlier when he tried to attack the man with the sword. "I guess so," he said. "I shouldn't have messed with an unfamiliar weapon." He opened his pouch and took out his nunchaku. "I'll just stick to my own then."

"Wragh!" He created a gust of wind with his weapon, moving the water.

The man smiled widely. "Well, well, well, this is going to be interesting." He raised his sword.

Next to Guy, Himawari got into a position he recognized from all the times he saw Neji do it. She was ready to strike.

The man pushed himself forward and ran towards them. "Now, what do you say we get down to business?" He yelled with a sadistic smile.

Guy and the shark man immediately engaged in a battle, with Guy cutting down all of the water jutsu thrown at him. The man had smartly incapacitated Himawari by having her constantly fight off waves coming her way. She broke them down as soon as they appeared, but it was clear they were annoying her.

"Wah!" Guy hit the sword with his nunchaku, creating an explosion in the water from the force. He gritted his teeth in frustration, seeing as it didn't make the man move one bit. Bringing his leg up, he tried to aim a kick at his head, only for the man to simply crouch down and avoid it. Guy used the momentum to turn around and kick again with his other foot, only to be blocked by the sword again.

Not too far from him, Himawari was swallowed by a wave, resurfacing again coughing. "Himawari!" He shouted.

She stood up on the water with her hands in the same position as before. Without uttering a single word, she waited for the next wave to arrive and began spinning around so quickly she created a shield of chakra to repel the water, sending them back towards the clones who held their teammates captive. Unfortunately, the wave died down before it reached the clones, but it was away long enough for her to move closer to the shark man.

The Akatsuki member used Guy's distraction against him. "You should really look at your opponent!" He yelled as he struck Guy away with his weapon. Himawari arrived just in time to duck under the blade and try to hit the man in the gut, only for him to kick her in the stomach. She and Guy flew back, and Himawari coughed up some blood but raised her head back as if it didn't matter, getting into position again.

_She's acting purely out of instinct,_ Guy realized. _She doesn't even feel the pain due to the adrenaline._

Guy attacked the man again, trying to nail his head. The man avoided it, and the punch Guy sent after it. Guy moved back and tried to gain some distance by using his nunchaku, but the man avoided them swiftly. Guy abandoned that move and instead tried to kick the man in the face, only to stop mere inches from the sword the shark man used to block him due to spikes growing out of it. The man chuckled maniacally, laughing at Guy's tension.

Himawari suddenly appeared above Guy, her hand ready to strike. "HA!" she shouted, but before she could strike the man turned the tip of his sword to block her. She reacted quickly and landed her feet on the tip of the blade momentarily before pushing herself away a second before the spikes appeared again. She gave Guy just enough time to jump back as well.

Guy started running in parallel with the Akatsuki member, spinning his nunchaku at high speed. He didn't break eye contact with his opponent for a second, knowing it could mean his defeat.

_The one downside to working with Himawari right now is that she is unpredictable, _he thought to himself seeing as the girl hasn't moved yet from the spot she landed in after distancing herself from the Akatsuki member.

Earlier, she entered that state of disconnection from the world around her right after their team has been trapped. Or, right after Neji was trapped. Guy remembered how she called out Neji's name in concern. _So that was it._

Behind him, a water clone manifested, but he broke it with his nunchaku without looking. He didn't have time for tricks. His students were suffocating.

Attacking the shark man, he swiped his nunchaku at him, and then crouched down when the man swung his blade horizontally. Jumping up just as the man brought his blade back, Guy blocked the swing with a hit from his nunchaku, immediately ducking afterward so as not to get hit by the blade. He jumped back and started to swing his weapon again, preparing for the next round.

They both moved at once, creating waves from the force and speed they displayed. They met in the middle, striking each other's weapons before moving, meeting in the middle, and striking again.

Himawari stood still not far from them, her face blank. Her hand was located on her stomach, a soft green light emitting from it. _Medical jutsu?_ Guy thought between strikes. _She can't move because her body was in pain, _he realized.

_Tenten is fading,_ Guy noticed. He knew he didn't have much time before they'd all start to feel the fire in their lungs, and were not able to hold their breaths any longer.

The Akatsuki member threw his sword in the air, making quick hand seals and touching the water surface. "Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!"

A water shark emerged from the large swarm of water being him, flying directly to Guy with his jaws open, revealing it's many teeth.

Just as it was about to hit him, Guy felt himself being pushed away several feet, the bomb going off just as he landed a couple of meters away. He looked up to see Himawari standing there, panting. She had pushed him away from the explosion. The sword landed in the man's hand and he charged at Himawari, striking at her head. She swiped her palm up quickly, blocking his blade, but not the shockwave created by the force of his attack. Disoriented from the strike, she was not prepared for the kick he directed at her ribcage, sending her into the water a few feet away. She resurfaced, raising to her feet with the endurance of a true fighter, and got into her position once again. Guy couldn't imagine how much damage her body was suffering from those strikes.

The man then turned to Guy, jumping above him and lifting his sword above his head, swinging it at him. Guy caught the blade with the chain of the nunchaku, struggling to hold it back.

_Such incredible power,_ Guy thought in amazement. Then something in his head clicked. "Hold on, I know you!"

"So you finally remembered, huh?" The man raised his fist. "Too little too late!" He punched Guy in the face, pushing him into the water.

Guy sunk down, reaching the bottom. He noticed the man had wounded him and internally groaned._ I know I've met this guy before._

Feeling a disturbance in the water, he looked up to see five water sharks making their way to him quickly. He pushed himself off the bottom just as the first shark attacked, crashing into the boulder instead and breaking it into pieces in the process, missing Guy.

The second shark was luckier, rushing Guy so quickly that the force the move pushed Guy backwards. The third shark had grabbed Guy from the side with his jaw and carried him away, Guy fighting to get free of its hold. He punched a small gap between the shark's teeth and made it release him, but only slowing the shark down momentarily.

_No effect, huh?_

He didn't hear the forth shark behind him, but he did feel it ram into him and drawing blood from him before it swam away.

Guy was sinking into the bottom quickly, barely able to think with his back hurting. He hit the bottom with a boom and the sharks hit it right after him, tearing the ground into pieces.

Guy fought them. Kicking one in the teeth and elbowing another in the jaw. Using the Leaf Hurricane on two others. But whenever he managed to punch a hole in one of them, it would just regenerate.

He couldn't go on for much longer. Not with his injuries and the fact that being underwater for more time will make him drown. Kneeling down, he tried to assess his situation.

The sharks started circling him, the underwater vultures.

_I'm out of time,_ he realized. _I have to end this, now._

He glanced at the figure of Himawari, who was standing above water, still recovering. _Whenever she was hurt,_ he realized, _her body would stop for a moment for her to regenerate before she could attack again._

_I can't rely on her,_ he figured. _No other choice…_

He placed his arms together and got into his stance. **The Eight Inner Gates, First Gate, The Gate of Opening, Release!**

**Second Gate, Gate of Rest.**

**Third Gate, Gate of Life.**

**Forth Gate, Gate of Pain.**

**Fifth Gate, Gate of Closing, open!**

He felt the chakra he released washing over him, radiating from him. The ground started to shake, and the water blew up into geysers.

"**AHHHHHHH!**" Guy screamed. "**The Eight Inner Gates, Sixth Gate, Gate of Joy, OPEN**!"

The wave of energy from him destroyed the sharks around him completely, not giving them a chance to regenerate. The water bubbled with heat, the geysers growing stronger, steam starting to come out of the small lake.

Guy stood in the middle of a tsunami of his own making, water pouring down on him like rain yet a small clearing of ground where he stood stayed dried enough, the water pushed away from it by him. Above him, the shark man jumped away, not wanting to be steamed alive.

Guy screamed, the force he released with his enhanced chakra breaking the ground he stood on like jagged lightning trails.

* * *

Neji waited for an opportunity to strike. Once Guy had opened the Sixth Gate, he knew there was no better chance.

Suddenly, Himawari had appeared behind the clone who trapped him, striking with an Air Palm and dispelling it, freeing Neji. He gasped, landing wobbly on his feet and tried to get his bearings. He coughed out a bit of water and wiped at his mouth.

Now free, Neji jumped out and moved into a stance performing the Eight Trigrams: Thirty-two Palms, dispersing the other clone that held Tenten captive.

Himawari struck a stance of her own. "Locked on!" She said, rushing the clone holding Lee and hitting him with such force he flew away before dispersing.

Neji caught Tenten, who groaned and gasped for air. "Tenten, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Tenten stood up shakingly. "Thanks, Neji. I owe ya."

"You saved us," Lee said to Himawari. "I am grateful."

Himawari didn't say anything, staring at him for a moment with a blank expression before turning and running back to where Guy was, her palm ready to strike.

"Himawari!" Neji called her, too weak to move after her.

* * *

Guy jumped up right in front of the blue-skinned man, but the bastard moved away before Guy could strike, jumping on the water streams.

Just as the Akatsuki member reached the end of the geysers, Himawari appeared next to him, striking him down back to Guy. Unfortunately, as he fell down he swatted at her with his sword, sending her flying into a large rock pillar, where she hit her back against and fell into the water, sinking down unconscious.

"Himawari!" Guy heard Neji's distressed cry but didn't have time to focus on it, trusting that his students would be able to take care of it while he deals with the Akatsuki fellow who was plummeting at him in great speed. He made sure to push himself up some more with the remnants of the geysers just as they fell back down into the water and struck a stance, both of his hands thrown wide to the sides, palms up and one leg folded.

The man moved to hit Guy with his blade, but Guy evaded it and kicked him up using his speed. Appearing again below him to kick him higher.

He appeared in front of the shark man, sending a swift flaming punch into his face, and then another in a successive barrage of them.

"ASAKUJAKU!" He yelled, delivering the final punch, setting the man on fire and sending him plummeting down to the water. The man hit the ground with a satisfactory splash and steam cloud, leaving Guy to pant as he landed down on his feet.

The water began to disappear, evaporating quickly now that the user who cast the jutsu was no longer able to maintain it. Somewhere to his left, Himawari's unconscious form had appeared, lying limp on the ground.

"Himawari!" Neji ran to her, Lee and Tenten following him.

Guy was worried about the girl who had aided him to take down the Akatsuki member, but he needed to make sure said member was gone before he turned his back. Waiting until all the steam and water were gone, Guy spotted the body, beaten and bloodied.

Finally able to breathe deeply, he turned his attention from it to his team, deciding to check it after he made sure they were all right.

Once he reached them, he saw the grim situation. All three of his students seemed to be barely scratched. Himawari on the other hand…

The girl's head was in Tenten's lap, her yellow hoodie jacket open and revealing several bloodstains on her white t-shirt, stemming from wounds that covered from her ribcage to her stomach, probably from the Akatsuki member's kicks. Her palms were worn out, the skin peeling in some places. All of her body was covered in bruises and cuts, a small stream of blood running down from the corner of her mouth.

Next to her, Neji gritted his teeth. "I should've done something," he said with self-loathing. "I promised to myself I'd protect her, yet I wasn't able to do a thing while she risked her life to save us."

"You couldn't have done anything, Neji," Tenten tried to comfort him. "You were trapped. None of us could move."

"I don't believe any of us could have stopped her," Guy commented grimly. "The moment she saw Neji get trapped, it was like she blacked out. Everything she did was out of pure instinct to protect."

It was a rage Guy had rarely seen in a shinobi. Taking over someone's actions and leaving them to fight with only their pure will. This girl was one formidable foe, and he hoped there would never come a day where he'd have to face her in that state.

Unknown to him, Neji had already known what that rage was called.

A niece's rage.

* * *

Neji squeezed Himawari's hand, checking her pulse. It was weak, but it was there, giving him some sort of relief. According to a quick assessment from Tenten, Himawari had a few broken ribs, possible internal bleeding, and multiple wounds and bruises. Neji couldn't imagine how Boruto would react to that knowledge.

"Neji…" Tenten started hesitantly. "How do you know Himawari?"

"What do you mean?" Even angry and distraught, Neji remembered to fake ignorance.

"Don't do that," Tenten scolded him. "Don't pretend you don't know what I mean. She has the Byakugan and calls you Niisan. We can put two and two together you know."

"It's complicated…" Neji chose his words carefully. "And it's not my secret to share."

Before anyone could say anything else, Himawari stirred, coughing water mixed with blood. Neji tensed, watching her eyelids flutter open. Her eyes were blue again, looking up at him, no trace of the Byakugan white. "Neji-niisan…?" She murmured in a tired daze, coughing up some more blood.

"Shh, it's okay," he tried to smile reassuringly at her. "Everything is alright now, Himawari."

"W-what happened?" She asked weakly.

"You mean you don't remember?" Tenten asked her and Himawari shook her head weakly.

"Why does everything hurt?" His niece asked in such a small voice Neji wanted to beat up the corpse of the man who hurt her.

"You and Guy-sensei fought the Akatsuki member with the sword and defeated him!" Lee told her excitedly. "It was a glorious battle."

Himawari blinked in confusion. "Did I really fight someone?" She asked Neji in confusion.

"Yes," Neji nodded. "You did very well. I'm proud of you, Himawari."

Himawari smiled tiredly. "Yay, Neji-niisan is proud of me." She giggled, but the giggling turned into violent coughing, making her shoot up and causing her shoulders to shake. She spat up some more blood into her palm and winced. "Ow…"

"We should get you back to Sunagakure for medical attention," Guy said, looking concerned. Himawari shook her head slightly. "No, take me to Sarada-chan." Neji hadn't heard her use that honorific in a while.

"Himawari, don't be ridiculous. You're hurt and in need of rest and healing." He rebuffed her request.

"Sarada-chan is a medic, and she's with Sakura-san," Himawari argued, giving him a pleading look. "Please, Neji-niisan?"

Neji was battling with himself. On one hand, he knew that taking her to Sunagakure was the logical thing to do. On the other…

Who could resist her begging face?

"... alright," he complied. "But if I see your injuries are getting worse before we reach them, I'll take you back to Suna myself."

"Thank you…" Himawari whispered before closing her eyes and falling unconscious to Tenten's lap. Neji watched her sleeping face for a moment before gathering himself and getting up. "Lee, will you be able to carry her?"

"Of course!" Lee gave him a thumbs up. "I will carry her with caution."

Neji nodded at him and crouched down, swiftly pulling Himawari into his arms. "We'd better get going," he handed her carefully to Lee, who made sure she was safely wrapped around his back while handing his bag to Neji to carry in his stead. "We've wasted enough time here."

"Right," Tenten stood up and dusted herself off.

"I want to check just one more thing before we go," Guy said, looking over to where the man they fought laid.

* * *

"It's strange, I got the feeling I've fought him before, but…" Guy looked at the corpse of the man in front of them.

"So you did not remember even meeting this man?" Lee asked him.

"That's weird," Tenten commented. "'cause from what he was saying, he knew everything about you Guy-sensei."

"Something's going on here," Neji said while looking at the body with his Byakugan.

Guy looked at the body again, tensing when he realized something was different. "His… his face…"

The man's face had completely changed. No longer the blue skin or sharp teeth, or the round eyes. It was someone else.

"Who is that?" Lee asked in shock. "Guy-sensei, what does this mean?"

"I don't know," Guy admitted. "But there's one thing that I am sure of," they all looked at him. "There's no way… I've ever met him."

"Was he using a transformation jutsu?" Lee tried to understand.

"No Lee," Neji deactivated his Byakugan. "This jutsu is on a whole other level."

"This means the real one's still hauled up somewhere, doesn't it?" Tenten asked, all of them knowing the answer.

Neji gritted his teeth, fists clenched. "Then Himawari got hurt for nothing?"

"Not for nothing," Guy placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "She saved me and all of you."

"Yeah, don't worry, Neji," Tenten smiled at him.

Neji nodded shortly before going back to the topic at hand. "I think it's safe to assume at this point that his goal was to gather information and stall us here for a while."

"If that is the case we have not a moment to lose!" Lee declared.

"Alright then, let's hurry," Guy decided they had spent enough time staring at a dead body.

Pakkun stepped forward. "The others are this way," he told them, running ahead. They all ran after him, on their way to the Akatsuki hideout.

* * *

Naruto and the others were moving in the trees when they sensed someone approaching.

"We've got incoming," Kakashi warned them.

Out of the trees to their left, emerged Boruto and Sarada, who looked like they were in a spar gone wrong. Both of them were slightly bruised and fatigued, their clothes a bit tattered and Boruto was wincing every other step.

"You're back soon," Kakashi noted as they joined the formation. "How did it go with Itachi?"

"Oh, um…" Sarada averted her eyes from him. "Once you left, we attacked him and he dispelled once I landed a punch. He was probably only there to stall us anyway."

"For them to send a clone to stall us, even for this long, could mean only one thing," Chiyo said in concern as she jumped to the next branch. "It's worse than I thought. The extraction of the Bijū has already begun."

Naruto, Sakura, Boruto, and Sarada turned to look at her in worry. Kakashi nodded at her words. "We're out of time. We need to get to Gaara right away."

"So wait, hold on," Sakura jumped closer to them. "What do you mean by, 'extraction'?"

"They're after the Shukaku," Chiyo explained grimly. "If they can draw out the Ichibi they can create a new Jinchūriki."

"A new Jinchūriki?" Sakura repeated after her, confused.

_Didn't Boruto mention a Jinchūriki earlier?_ Naruto looked at the blonde, who was wincing whenever ever he took a high leap.

"I told you, didn't I?" Chiyo looked down. "How the Bijū possessed power beyond all reckoning? And how every land has tried to use them as military weapons?"

"The Jinchūriki is the name given to those who control that power." she looked up, her expression grim.

Sakura gasped. "But earlier you said the Bijū are huge concentrations of chakra, and that no one could control them!"

"Not for lack of trying," Chiyo corrected herself. "There were of course those who tried to harness that great power for their own purposes. Attempting to control the Bijū by sealing them away inside of people." Naruto's eyes widened. Next to him, Boruto's jaw clenched as if he remembered something unpleasant. "By doing so they hoped to suppress the Bijū's great power, and then bend that might to their will."

Naruto placed a hand on his stomach, where he knew the seal was hidden.

"And the ones with the Bijū inside of them, such as our village's Gaara, are known as Jinchūriki," Chiyo spoke as if she was telling a tragic story. "Jinchūriki wield unimaginable power, thanks to their resonance with the Bijū they carry. And if you count Gaara, then all told there have been three Jinchūriki in the history of Sunagakure thus far."

All the while she told the story, she was writing something in a scroll. Once she finished, she summoned a bird toy and gave it the scroll, sending it away.

Sakura's mouth twisted. "There were several wars fought using the Jinchūriki, weren't there?" She asked angrily, surprising Naruto.

"That's correct," Chiyo said.

"Then the people who've become Jinchūriki-" Sakura stopped when she noticed the painful expression on Naruto's face. "Alright then, how are the Bijū extracted?"

Naruto looked at her in surprise.

"A couple of things are needed," Chiyo counted. "A sealing jutsu, strong enough to counter the Bijū's power, and a lot of time. But were things to reach that point, then the Jinchūriki…"

"You don't mean…" Sakura didn't finish the sentence, but they all thought it. Next to Naruto, Boruto's shoulders trembled.

"That's right, dear," Chiyo said sadly. "Once the Bijū is extracted, they die."

Sakura looked away, tears forming in her eyes.

"You always were quick to cry, huh Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked Sakura. She looked at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Hey don't worry, I'm gonna save Gaara." Naruto smiled at her.

"But who's gonna save you?" Boruto mumbled, surprising them all before he jumped further ahead. Silence surrounded the group after the uncomfortable question on their mind was said aloud, no one knowing what to say.

"Boruto!" Sarada admonished him once she recovered from the surprise of his statement.

"We need to hurry," Boruto told them, taking off ahead into the dark woods.

"Boruto, wait!" Sarada caught up with him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't go breaking formation like that."

Boruto turned to look at her, and for the first time, Naruto noticed how his scar darkened his face. Boruto only ever used one eye, ever since Naruto met the guy. He seemed sad, hurt even.

"Are you okay?" Sarada asked in concern.

"Better than most Jinchūriki, apparently," Boruto said bitterly. He slowed down a bit like she asked, muttering things under his breath.

Sarada turned to them. "Sorry about him, he gets like this sometimes."

"It's alright," Sakura assured her. "But he sounds really distraught."

"I guess," Sarada looked at her friend's back. "Jinchūriki are a difficult subject for him."

"Really?" Chiyo sounded interested. "Why is that?"

"Oh, um…" Sarada bit her lip. "It's complicated."

"We're close!" Kakashi interrupted the conversation.

They were almost at the Akatsuki's hideout.

* * *

Neji noticed that Guy was faltering slightly as they moved.

"Are you feeling okay, Guy-sensei?" Lee asked his mentor.

"Are you kidding?" Guy smiled. "My battery never runs down, Lee!" He laughed, not noticing until he hit his head on a tree branch and slid down.

"Guy-sensei!" Lee called out in worry.

"I don't know, he doesn't look so good to me." Tenten examined Guy.

"What do you expect?" Neji asked her. "He just used the Asakujaku, didn't he? We need to let him rest for a while."

"Good idea," Tenten nodded. "I'll bandage Himawari while we're at it."

* * *

It was evening when Kakashi decided enough was enough. "Stop here!" He told them.

They all landed in front of him. "Why? What is it Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked him.

"We're taking a short break," Kakashi told them.

"That's a very wise decision," Chiyo said.

Naruto, on the other hand, did not think that. He ran up to Kakashi. "What do you mean? Come on, you were the one saying we couldn't waste any more time. If we just lay around here doing nothing Gaara's gonna be-"

"Naruto!" Kakashi stopped him. "Look around you," he gestured to Boruto and Sarada, who were both out of breath. Sarada looked the worst out of them, rubbing her forehead and wincing like she had a headache. Both of them clearly fatigued. From what he understood, Sarada and Boruto had also stayed up almost all night before they left, waiting for Himawari to return in addition to their earlier fight with Itachi's clone. They needed to rest. "If we take our time resting up now, we'll ultimately reach out destination faster."

Naruto looked like he wanted to argue, but said nothing. "Keep in mind," Kakashi drove his argument home. "Tomorrow we may end up facing the guys who kidnapped Gaara." He knew Naruto understood. "We need our full strength."

Naruto nodded, clearly not happy about it though. "Yeah, alright. I understand."

* * *

Neji watched the fire crackle as his teammates slept. Himawari laid on a field mattress near the fire and was covered by Neji's blankets.

Tomorrow it was most likely he'd meet Boruto and Naruto again. And even though Naruto wasn't Himawari's father yet, Neji still feared to reveal to them Himawari was injured under his watch.

* * *

They all then settled down, starting a campfire and leaning against the trees.

Sarada was bandaging Boruto's chest, him having a large black bruise on it from her attack earlier. He was starting to regret suggesting it in the first place. He winced when she touched it, trying to endure it by clenching his jaw. "Sorry," she apologized while applying some ointment to the bruise.

"It's okay," Boruto hissed when she applied a bit more pressure. "Ow, ow, ow…"

"I'm almost done," she told him, wrapping a bandage around his chest. "There."

Boruto rolled down his shirt. "Thanks, Sarada."

Sarada smiled at him before leaning back on the tree, pressing a hand with a green glow emanating from it on her forehead.

"Were you hit on the head?" Sakura asked her in concern.

"No," Sarada shook her head. "I just get these bad headaches recently. Doing this helps."

"You should rest," Boruto took off his jacket and covered her with it.

Sarada blinked in surprise, but then a yawn escaped her mouth and she nodded sleepily, settling on his shoulder and closing her eyes. Boruto continued to eat like nothing was wrong, not noticing the few raised eyebrows directed at them.

"Are you sure you're not dating?" Sakura asked him, fighting to hide her smile.

Boruto coughed on his food for a moment before clearing his throat and rolling his eye. "Pretty sure I'd know if we were."

He looked at the fire, entranced by the flames.

"Are you worried about Himawari?" Sakura asked him. He lifted his head, looking at her. "I have a bad feeling," he explained. "That something happened to her, and I couldn't stop it."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Sakura assured him. "You should get some sleep too, Boruto-san."

"Just Boruto," Boruto chuckled. "And thanks."

"We all should get a little rest," Kakashi told them.

* * *

"Right!" In front of Neji, Guy suddenly opened his eyes.

"Alright, break time's over!" His sensei rose up.

"Guy-sensei, are you sure?" Lee asked him.

"Absolutely!" Guy gave him a thumbs up. "I feel perfectly fine! All I needed was a little rest."

"Hngh…" Himawari stirred, focusing all of their attention on her. She rose up from her mattress and rubbed her eyes. "What…?"

"It's alright, Himawari," Neji smiled at her.

"Oh, Neji-niisan," Himawari looked at him. "What's going on?"

"We're about to move," he told her, getting up to check on her more closely. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she nodded, removing the blanket from her legs. "I heal up quickly."

"I'm sure," Neji remembered Naruto's ability to bounce back almost immediately after being knocked down, and Himawari was his child. "But I'm still going to insist Lee will carry you until we arrive."

"Alright," she complied, still sleepy. "I'm in your care, Lee-san."

"Do not worry, Himawari, I will carry you without fail!" Lee gave her a thumbs up, but she fell asleep again on Neji's shoulder. The Hyūga chuckled. Sometimes he forgot, but she was still fourteen.

"Alright everyone, to keep to our schedule we're gonna have to move double time from here on in!" Guy informed them with a smile as if saying: "let's go to the store and buy snacks."

"Aww," Tenten groaned.

"No! Let us make it triple time!" Lee offered. "Then, we might actually arrive ahead of schedule!"

"Good thinking!" Guy nodded. "As a matter of fact, why don't we make it quadruple time?!"

"Quiet down, you two," Neji glared at them. "You're going to wake Himawari up." He scoffed. "Besides, what you're suggesting is not even physically possible."

"Will you guys please stop getting carried away?" Tenten asked of them.

"Uh, Sensei, I believe triple time would be enough!" Lee told Guy.

"Lee, I think even that's pushing it," Pakkun told Lee.

* * *

Kakashi sat on a branch, waiting.

"Alright, it's time."

He jumped down, walking into the light of the fire. "That's enough rest," he said. "We should get moving."

Chiyo nodded.

"Okay, you four, wake up!" He called the four teens who were sleeping soundly. Sakura and Sarada got up grudgingly, yet Boruto still hasn't opened his eye.

"Boruto," Sarada shook his shoulder. "Wake up, it's time to leave."

Boruto jolted and opened his eye. "Alright, alright, I'm up."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that because he could tell Boruto was acting. In fact, he doubted the teen had fallen asleep at all.

Naruto groaned. "Okay, in a minute," he turned on his side. "Just give me a minute more."

Kakashi was going to say something when he saw Boruto smirk. The teen walked up to Naruto and crouched down near his head. Boruto took a deep breath and cupped a hand around his mouth. "WAKE UP!" he yelled into Naruto's ear, making the other blonde jump up and throw the blanket away. He glared at Boruto while rubbing his ear, but Boruto just grinned at him. "Morning, Sunshine. Ready to save the Kazekage?"

Naruto stopped glaring at him and nodded. "You bet I'm gonna save him." "Naruto, not so fast! Wait up!" Sakura called after Naruto, yet Boruto had a feeling his young father won't listen to his teammate.

"Why is that boy pushing himself so hard to save Gaara?" Chiyo asked Kakashi. "He's not even from the same village." She narrowed her eyes. "What is he? What's that boy's story?"

Kakashi looked at her. "Naruto is a Jinchūriki as well. He has the Kyūbi sealed within him."

And there it is, Boruto saw the shock in Chiyo's eyes. He hated the fact that reacting this way was what was appropriate in this time. In the future, his father being the host to the Kyūbi was common knowledge, and it bothered no one.

"It's not that he has any special feelings for Sunagakure or it's people, but he and Gaara are both Jinchūriki. Naruto knows how Gaara feels better than anyone in Suna ever could. After all, those who are Jinchūriki have been treated the same way in every village." Kakashi continued his story, making Boruto clench his fist in anger. Next to him, Sarada placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, which he was grateful for. "That's why he feels this desperate need to save Gaara. It doesn't matter whether Gaara is from Suna or Konoha, or anywhere else. He's a friend. The only friend who's felt the same pain Naruto's felt."

Boruto remembered, when he was younger before his dad even became Hokage, Gaara would come to visit them when he was visiting the village for diplomatic purposes. Himawari was always a bit frightened by the man, but once he made her sand pandas in the backyard she always warmed up to him. Boruto used to sit with the adults as they reminisce and talk about their lives, wondering how two very different people like his father and the Kazekage managed to become friends.

Now he knew.

"Naruto's dream is to become Hokage. So the news that Gaara had been made Kazekage hit him pretty hard. He was frustrated, but at the same time, deep in his heart, he was profoundly happy for Gaara."

That made Boruto smile a bit. His dad was always a bit immature, but it was moments like these that made him think not all hope is lost.

"You see, Naruto has another remarkable gift; he doesn't need much time, or many words, to make a friend out of anyone he meets."

* * *

Neji landed on the water in front of the large boulder, waiting for Lee to land as well so he can check on Himawari.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her as he helped her get down from Lee's back and stand on the water.

"Much better," she said, then winced. Neji had a feeling she's been putting on a brave face since a while back, and now he all but confirmed his suspicions. She ignored his scolding look and smiled at Lee. "Thank you for carrying me, Lee-san."

"It is no problem, Himawari!" Lee gave her a thumbs up and a shining smile.

"So, this is the place?" Guy asked.

Himawari nodded. "This is where Pakkun and I tracked them to."

"Gaara's on the other side of that boulder." Pakkun, who was resting on Lee's shoulder, said before jumping down.

"It won't be easy to get past that barrier," Guy walked closer to it.

"What's the plan?" Tenten asked.

"We smash our way in!" Lee suggested enthusiastically.

"No, Lee," Guy turned to his protege. But before he could say anything else, another few presences appeared behind them. Guy smirked. "Late as usual, Kakashi."

"Well, you see, we ran into a bit of trouble along the way."

Neji turned around to see Boruto and Sarada land together with their team.

"Naruto!" Lee called them. "Sakura-san!"

"Wait a minute, by a little trouble you don't mean me, do you Kakashi?" An old lady asked Kakashi, but Neji's eyes stayed trained to Boruto, who was checking the surroundings.

"Onii-chan!" Himawari called her brother, getting all of the attention. They all turned to her, seeing her bandaged state before their gazes moved to Boruto, who stood with a frozen expression as he looked at his sister. "Onii-chan…?" Himawari looked at her brother, her smile fading as his expression morphed into anger.

"What the hell happened to you?!"

* * *

**Author's note: **the author was mean to her, Boruto.

Writing Himawari get hurt was physically painful for me, but endure it I shall. I was really nervous about writing the battle scene because as I've said before, I don't know how to. It sorta came out okay, so I'm glad. I have this headcanon that once Himawari blacks out she focuses on her target and doesn't care about anything else, including herself. It just sort of reminds me of how Naruto in the unstable Kyūbi form is.

Now, on a more serious note; I have been struggling with depression and stress lately, which isn't the most healthy condition for writing. I'M STILL WRITING THIS FIC! Don't worry, this isn't an 'I'm quitting' message. I have almost all of this arc written out, and I'm missing about 2 chapters before we move on to arc 3. It's just… I'm trying my best, but writing these chapters is a lot of work. To write one chapter, I have to sit down for almost three days with google docs open and play the naruto episodes related to the chapter over and over in order to get the dialogue correctly. Sometimes one scene can take up to two hours. So writing a chapter is committing to not doing anything else besides that for 3-5 days, and that's a long time. I've been pretty busy lately, and I have stuff going on for me besides this fic. I have an ongoing project in its diapers that takes up most of my time, and in the distant future, I might have to choose between this fic and that. Still, I'm doing my best to keep both ends up.

But seriously, I'm so swamped I haven't had the time to read any updates for fics I follow for the last two weeks, so yeah.

Welp, now that the depressing stuff is over, please review and tell me what you thought! It motivates me and helps me write.

Thanks for reading!

**Beta Reader: **AgresteBug, I don't know what I would do without you.


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